Two Brothers and a Pop Tart
by Lodylodylody
Summary: It's summer and the twins are off the ship and back in Boston. But when a celebrity guest appears on London's web show, events unfurl that could change the Martin family forever...and possibly end the career of a teenage pop star.
1. Chapter 1

Summer had gotten off to a nice start for Cody Martin. After finishing his freshman school year out at sea on the_ S.S. Tipton _it had taken a little adjustment to get used to life on dry land once more, but he was managing well. It was great to be back living at the Tipton hotel in Boston, with his Mom and all his friends on the hotel staff. And while he did miss some of his friends from the semester at sea, he was doing well.

Cody's twin brother Zack was not enjoying summer quite as much. He did like being back in Boston, but in his opinion, there was one important element missing from the hotel. A pretty blonde element who usually worked behind the candy counter. Maddie Fitzpatrick was away for the summer, doing volunteer work in Africa with a group she'd signed up with at school. Zack appreciated the fact the Maddie was very dedicated to making the world a better place, but that didn't stop him from missing her. The hotel seemed less exciting without her around.

Of course, neither Zack nor Cody realized that they would be in for plenty of excitement before the summer was over.

It all started with an episode of _Yay Me _- the web show hosted by Zack and Cody's friend London Tipton. Now that they were all back in Boston, the heiress had asked Cody to be her show's producer once again. He had stepped back into his old job without missing a beat, and London was more than happy with the results. Cody always seemed to make sure that the show ran smoothly, no matter what unexpected difficulties popped up. And besides, London enjoyed Cody's company. Though they were probably as different from one another as two people could be, a very deep friendship had developed between them over time. They were used to one another's personalities and quirks.

For example, Cody was used to London being more than a little vain.

"How do I look?" the heiress asked for what seemed like the hundredth time as she and Cody were preparing for their latest webcast.

"I told you London," Cody answered as he continued to check the computer connections. "You look great."

"You're just saying that," London complained. "You're not even looking at me."

Cody sighed and looked up to face the girl. "I don't know why you're so obsessed with your appearance."

"Appearances are important," she replied. "People won't like you if you don't look fabulous."

"That's a very superficial attitude."

"Thank you," London said cheerfully, unaware of the meaning of 'superficial'.

Cody shook his head but at the same time took a moment to look at his friend. While she was a lovely girl to begin with, she seemed to have put some extra effort into her appearance today. Her raven-dark hair (which looked particularly shiny and lush due to her recent salon visit) was pulled back into a sophisticated updo. Not only did the hairstyle look stunning, it also did an excellent job of spotlighting her beautiful face. Her dark, almond shaped eyes were large and luminous, her cheeks were rosy and her lips glistened.

"You do look fantastic," Cody admitted. "Seriously."

"Are you sure?" She asked again. "It's important I look my best for today's show."

"Why?"

"Because silly, don't you remember who our special guest is today?"

"Sure I do. I..." Cody began, but then smiled knowingly. "Oh, I get it. We have an attractive female guest...and you want to make sure she doesn't show you up."

"You're so smart. Are you sure I look okay?"

"Honestly London," he replied. "You've never looked better."

The heiress smiled, and for a moment she looked like she was going to say something else to Cody, but then the doorbell rang.

"That must be her," Cody said. "It's almost time for the show to start."

* * *

The latest episode of _Yay Me _was almost over and, in Cody's opinion, it was one of the best shows London had ever done. Today's guest had proven to be quite pleasant and engaging, which was a nice surprise considering that she had a bit of a reputation for being difficult.

"And now for the final segment of our show," London announced as she smiled towards the primary webcam. "Viewer Q&A. This is your chance to message us your questions and comments, and we'll answer you right now. So act now if you have anything you'd like to ask my very special guest...Mikayla."

Cody adjusted the camera shot so that it widened to show both London and the pretty teen pop singer seated next to her. Mikayla's hair was just as dark as London's, and looked quite good hanging down to frame her fair complexion. Her eyes were just as large as London's and her face was very lovely. Cody mused that London may have been right to make sure she looked her best before the show started...as Mikayla was the kind of girl who could outshine most others.

But then again, so could London.

"Are the questions coming in, Cody?" the heiress asked.

"Lots of questions for Mikayla," he announced, as numerous messages popped up on the computer screen. "Here's the first one. Londonfan13 wants to know when you'll put out a new CD."

"Good question," London said with a bright smile, as was her habit whenever a viewer wrote in with a question. She then turned to Mikayla to listen to her response.

"I don't actually have anything scheduled right now," the singer said with a practiced smile. "I want to take my time and do the best possible work I can. I think I owe that to my fans."

Cody looked for the next question to ask, but noted that many of the messages were of an unpleasant tone. He felt that many of the questions would not be ones that Mikayla would like to address, and he didn't want to upset her since she had been a very co-operative guest."

"Cody," London said with a slight bit of impatience in her tone. "Don't we have any more questions?"

"Yes, sorry," Cody said as he continued to scan the messages. "Jonasluv95 wants to know why your record label dropped you."

Mikayla's practiced smile stayed in place, though her eyes seemed not quite as bright as they had a moment earlier.

"The music business is very complicated sometimes," she said. "The people at my old label gave me some great opportunities in the past. But I had some different options I wanted to explore, and we all agreed it would be best if I went out on my own for awhile to, uh...follow my creative instincts."

"Next question, Cody," London chimed in.

"I'm still looking," he answered as he tried to find an acceptable message.

London walked over to look at the computer screen. "There are lots of questions here, what's taking so long?"

Cody didn't want to say on air that most of the questions were somewhat inappropriate. Some were even downright insulting to Mikayla. However London didn't give him time to make an explanation.

"Here, I'll pick one," the heiress said. "Efronfan93 wants to know what happened to your movie with Jake Ryan."

Mikayla's smile seemed to become strained. "The movie business is even more complicated than the music business," she said. "The movie went over budget and the production company decided to scrap it. But I'd love to do some more acting in the future."

"Interesting," London said before looking down to pick another question off the screen. "Now, Hannah4ever writes in to say...why don't you drop off the planet because you suck...Hey!" The heiress looked embarrassed for a second and then glared towards the webcam. "Shame on you Hannah4ever! You shouldn't insult my guest. She's been super nice."

"It's okay," Mikayla said, her smile all but gone now. "Not everyone can be a fan, right?"

London and Cody cut short the rest of the Viewer Q&A and the conclusion of the show went off without a hitch.

* * *

"Thanks for being on my show," London told Mikayla after taping had stopped.

"Thanks for having me," the singer replied. "I really enjoyed meeting you."

"You were a great guest," Cody added.

Mikayla smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I don't do as many interviews as I used to. So I try to do a good job when I have the chance."

The singer's cell phone rang and she excused herself to the other room. Cody began to put up the cameras and lights from the show, while London sat back on her couch to relax.

"I think the show went well," she said.

Cody nodded in agreement. "It's just too bad there weren't better questions for the Q&A."

"I know." London reached over to grab her laptop and looked at the many messages that had been written in. "Why did so many people write in those mean things about Mikayla? I think she's nice."

Cody shrugged and he finished putting the show equipment away. "I think she's nice too."

"I was a little worried before I met her," the heiress went on. "I used to read in the gossip magazines that she had an attitude problem. Back when she used to be mentioned the gossip magazines."

"Used to? They don't mention her now?" Cody asked. He'd never had an interest in celebrity gossip.

"No, they haven't for awhile."

Cody frowned. "Sounds like her career isn't going so well."

"That's too bad," London said. Then she cocked her head oddly, as if listening to a faint noise. "Cody? Do you hear that?"

Concentrating to see if he could hear what London did, Cody did indeed pick up a distinct sound from the other room. He got up and went over to the door get a better listen. After a moment, a concerned look appeared on his face and he instinctively opened the door.

"Mikayla! Are you alright?" he said in alarm.

London got off the couch and joined Cody in at the door. What she saw in the other room caused her to gasp. Mikayla was kneeling on the floor, sobbing pitifully. Her cell phone was dropped in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Cody asked as knelt beside the distraught girl.

"My manager just dropped me," she choked out between tears. "I've lost everything!"

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Please review. And I'd like to hear if people think this story should be in regular Suite Life section or in the newer crossover section. Mikayla is going to be a major character in this tale, and some other Hannah Montana characters will play parts in the later chapters...but in my mind this is mainly a Suite Life story with lots of focus on Cody, Zack, London, Carey, etc. _


	2. Chapter 2

Up in London Tipton's penthouse suite, the heiress and her friend Cody were both trying very hard to comfort a distraught pop singer.

"I can't believe this," Mikayla sobbed. "I'm only sixteen and my life is over!"

"It can't be that bad," London offered. But Mikayla's tears continued to flow freely.

"I know it looks bad now," Cody said. "But things will get better."

"You don't understand," the singer said. "I've lost everything. God...where am I going to live?"

"What about your family?" Cody asked, which caused even more tears.

"They're the reason I don't have anything!" Mikayla exclaimed. "I don't even have a family anymore!"

London and Cody looked at each other, equally shocked. Then, as gently as they could, they coaxed the singer to explain her situation.

The story she told made Cody's blood boil. Mikayla's parents had groomed her to be in show business for as long as she could remember. When her first record contract was signed and the money started to pour in, her parents both quit their jobs and let Mikayla's income support them. They never treated her like a daughter. To them, she was just a meal ticket.

"But there are laws to protect underage performers," Cody said. "Most of the money you earned should have gone into a trust fund for you."

Mikayla laughed bitterly. "My parents hired lawyers to exploit every loophole they could. Technically they didn't do anything illegal, but they did manage to control where my money was invested. They put it in funds that allowed them to take cash out for emergency use. You'd be surprised how many 'emergencies' they managed to have."

"That's horrible," London said.

"I complained to my manager...my ex-manager, Margo, about it," Mikayla went on. "And she and my parents got into a big argument. I took Margo's side. The next thing I know, I'm suing my parents. Then they sued me back. Eventually, Margo advised me to be legally emancipated from my parents."

London didn't understand what Mikayla was talking about, but Cody was shocked.

"Legally emancipated? You're kidding!"

Mikayla nodded sadly while London turned to Cody.

"What does that mean?" the heiress asked.

"It's a rarely used legal procedure," he explained. "It's like a divorce, except instead of a husband and wife splitting, it's a child splitting from his or her parents. Legally, Mikayla is now an adult and her parents have no authority over her."

The singer wiped some of the tears from her eyes. "The court settlement got me away from my parents. As part of the settlement, they got to keep all they'd already brought with my money, and the old accounts they'd already emptied. I'd have complete control over all that I earned from that point on. I didn't ask for anything else in exchange for them not talking to the press. We managed to get all the lawsuits resolved and not one word about it ever made the news. Margo helped me find a nice apartment and I thought everything would be alright after that."

"But it wasn't," London observed.

"Just as the lawsuits were wrapped up, my career started to slump," Mikayla explained. "My label dropped me. Then the movie that was supposed to jumpstart my career was shelved. The only money I was making was from performing at clubs, and that was barely enough to cover my rent. Margo tried to put together a concert tour for me, but we couldn't get enough sponsors."

Wanting to help, London spoke up. "I could ask Daddy to sponsor your concerts."

"Thanks for offering," Mikayla said. "But even if I were prepared, no concert of mine would make any money. I haven't had a hit since_ If Cupid Had A Heart_. I'm a washed-up one hit wonder."

Cody tried to think of something to say as Mikayla began to cry again. He was sympathetic to her career worries, but he was far more concerned about the fact that she was all alone with no family to turn to.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Mikayla sobbed.

"I do," Cody spoke up. "At least I know what you're going to do tonight."

The singer looked at him questioningly.

"You're going to have dinner with my family," he said. "I bet you haven't had a home-cooked meal in a long time."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

Mikayla thanked Cody for his dinner invitation, but tried to decline. "I wouldn't want to be an imposition," she said.

"It's no trouble at all," he said. "We love having guests. My Mom's a singer too. You and she would have plenty to talk about. And my brother...well, he's always happy to have a pretty girl around. One warning, he's probably going hit on you a few times."

Mikayla managed a slight smile at that comment. "But I can't ask your Mom to do extra work...cooking for me on such short notice."

Cody laughed. "Please, I'll be doing the cooking. And you'll be in for quite a treat, I'm making one of my specialties tonight."

Mikayla raised an eyebrow. "You do the cooking for your family?"

"My Mom is a wonderful mother," he said. "But her cooking skills leave something to be desired."

"Cody is a great cook," London chimed in. "He was trained by Chef Paulo."

"That's the head chef here at the hotel," Cody explained. "He says I'm his best student, but you don't have to take my word for it. My cooking speaks for itself."

Mikayla was still unsure, but Cody was insistent. London was also quite encouraging.

"Why don't you let Cody go down and start dinner, and I'll help you fix up your makeup," the heiress told the singer. "Your mascara is running from all those tears."

"Would you like to have dinner with us too?" Cody asked London. "You're always welcome."

"Thanks," the heiress said. "But I have plans. Is it alright if I stop by after dinner?"

"Sure," he answered. "I'll save some dessert for you."

Cody then left and London led Mikayla to the master bathroom so that they could clean up the singer's makeup.

"You've been so nice," Mikayla said thankfully. "And your friend Cody too."

"Think nothing of it," London replied.

"Are you and he...dating?"

"What?" London said, surprised. "Me and Cody? No."

"Oh...I thought you might be."

The heiress was curious as to why Mikayla had made that assumption. "What made you think that?"

"You two seem to get along so well. And he's such a nice guy. The nicest guy I've met in a long time," said the singer.

"We're just good friends," London said. "And you're right. He is a nice guy. A great guy."

"He's cute too," Mikayla added with a smile.

London said nothing.

* * *

Both Zack and his mother, Carey, were home when Cody came in and explained that they'd have a special dinner guest that evening. Zack didn't believe his brother at first, but it soon became evident that Cody was serious.

"Mikayla? Having dinner with us?" Zack said in disbelief.

Cody explained the whole situation as he began preparing dinner. Carey was absolutely horrified when she heard how Mikayla's parents had treated her.

"That poor girl," she said. "How could anyone exploit their own child like that?"

"I'm worried about her, Mom," Cody admitted. "She's on her own and she's not earning an income now. What is she going to do?"

"Maybe London could help her out," Zack suggested. "She's loaded, after all."

"I don't think Mikayla wants to take charity," Cody replied. "Though I'm sure London wants to help. She's going to stop by after dinner, so maybe we can think of something.

* * *

After repairing the damage to Mikayla's makeup, London told the singer how to get to Cody's suite. At dinner time Mikayla made her way there and knocked on the door, only to be confused when the door opened.

"Hey, beautiful," the teen who answered the door said in greeting. "Welcome to the 'Chateau Martin' - I'll be your host for this evening."

The young man looked unnervingly like Cody, but was slightly shorter and stockier.

"Are you Cody's brother?"

"His more handsome and charming brother," he answered as he took her hand and escorted her through the doorway and into the suite. "Zack's the name."

"Cody told me had a brother," Mikayla said. "But he never said you were twins.

"And he told me you would be having dinner with us," Zack replied. "But he never told me how drop dead gorgeous you were in person."

The singer let out a laugh. "He warned me that you'd hit on me."

"That's my son," Carey said, having emerged from the bathroom in time to catch the last exchange between Zack and their guest. "A teenage Casanova."

"Mom," Zack complained. "You're cramping my style here."

Ignoring his protests, Carey held out her hand to Mikayla. "I'm Carey Martin, Zack and Cody's mother. We're so happy you could join us for dinner."

"Thank you Ma'am," the singer replied politely as they shook hands.

"Please call me Carey," the elder woman insisted. "Cody will be out in a minute. He's just changing out of his apron now that dinner is ready."

It was then that Mikayla noticed the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. "Cody's responsible for that?" she asked.

"Yeah," Zack answered. "He's a way better cook than Mom."

"Hey," Carey said as she playfully smacked Zack's arm, causing Mikayla to giggle. It was then that Cody entered from the bedroom.

"I see you've met my family already," he said. "Allow me to apologize for whatever Zack's already done to offend you."

"Everyone's a comedian tonight," Zack muttered.

Mikayla continued to giggle at the Martin family's banter, and Cody was very pleased to see her in a happy mood. It was much better than the forlorn sobbing she'd done earlier in London's suite. He instructed Mikayla and his family to be seated and then began to serve dinner.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Please review. Not only do I crave feedback, but reader comments could possibly influence some important plot elements. Right now I'm having a blast writing this story and I have some specific things planned, but I don't know how everything is going to end up. Romance is going to bloom...but between which characters? _


	4. Chapter 4

While the Martins were having dinner with their guest, London was attending a charity benefit across town. She wasn't too interested in socializing however, as her mind was still on Mikayla's misfortune. So after making a generous donation and posing for a few photos with various dignitaries, she quietly exited the event.

In the back of her limo, London tried to think of the best thing she could do to help the singer. The girl's plight really struck a nerve with the heiress, as it reminded her of the brief time a few years ago when a huge business deal had gone wrong for her father and all the Tipton assets had been temporarily frozen. That was the only time in London's life that she had not been able to access to her vast family fortune, and living as a 'poor person' had been quite a trial.

_But when that happened, I still had my friends to help me, _London thought._ I could never have gotten through it on my own. _

With her friends on her mind, the heiress naturally thought of the one person that she could always turn to when she had a problem. She decided that going to him for advice should be her next move.

* * *

If anyone were to make a list of the things that Marion Moseby truly loved, the Tipton hotel in Boston would certainly be included. He'd spent most of his adult life there and was very happy to be back in his position as hotel manager after spending months out at sea on the _S.S. Tipton_. It hadn't been his idea to work on the cruise ship, but Mr. Tipton had personally selected him for that assignment. The reason for his selection had little to do Moseby's managerial skills (superb though they were) but instead was based on his successful history of looking after Mr. Tipton's daughter.

And frankly, London had been a major factor in helping Moseby tolerate the time away from his beloved hotel. Because even though the heiress could sometimes annoy him terribly, she also held a permanent spot high up on the list of things that he truly loved.

Nonetheless, Moseby was so glad to be back at his preferred job that he had gotten into the habit of working far later than he needed to. Thus he was still in his office that evening when London arrived back at the hotel, and that was where the heiress sought him out.

"Hey Moseby," she said as she walked in. "I need some advice."

"London," he said in a patient tone. "Haven't we discussed knocking on my door first before entering?"

"Oh, sorry." She began to turn back to the doorway. "I can go out and come in again. I'll knock first this time."

The hotel manager shook his head. "Never mind. Just remember the next time." He motioned for her to take a seat. "Now, what kind of advice do you need?"

London sat down and got ready say what was on her mind, but was distracted when she spotted a new addition to Moseby's office. On top of the desk was a framed picture of a woman, a striking redhead that the heiress thought she recognized.

"Is that a picture of Miss Tutweiller?" she asked even as she looked closer and saw that she had correctly identified the woman. "Why do you...ooohhh." A smile spread across her face as she guessed the implication of the picture. "Are you and she-"

"Now, now..." Moseby cut her off. "You didn't come in here to discuss Emma...uh, Miss Tutweiller."

The use of the woman's first name convinced London that there must be a major romance going on between Moseby and Tutweiller, who had been the teacher supervising the semester at sea program on the _S.S. Tipton_.

"London," he said, with a mild tone of warning.

"Okay, I won't ask about her," the heiress conceded. "For now."

Inwardly groaning at the thought of London's future prying, Moseby again asked her what kind of advice she was looking for.

London proceeded to explain the situation.

* * *

Up in the Martin family suite, everyone was finishing up their dinner. Mikayla could now definitely say that Cody had not been exaggerating his culinary skills. The dinner was one of the best she'd ever had. But as impressive as the food had been, Mikayla had been struck even more by her hosts. They'd all made her feel very welcome and were wonderfully friendly, yet it was the way they interacted with one another that she couldn't get over.

All her life, Mikayla had never been treated like a normal girl. Her family had never shown any of the closeness that was so evident among the Martins. And since she'd never had any real friends, she'd never been able to visit another teenager's home before and experience what a normal family was like.

This was the first family meal she'd ever been to.

"Dinner was excellent, honey," Carey told Cody.

"Yeah, you did okay," Zack added with a smirk, apparently unwilling to give his twin a compliment in front of company without adding a dash of sarcasm.

"It must have been okay," Cody replied. "You asked for seconds about...what? Four times?"

"Hey, can I help it if I have an athlete's appetite?" Zack shot back. He then turned to Mikayla and gave her a winning smile. "I don't want to brag, but I'm the best free throw shooter on my school's basketball team."

"Really?" Mikayla asked.

"Yep, I'm pretty much the team's most valuable player."

"Zack," Cody said as he stepped over to begin cleaning off the dinner table. "Our guest has just had a nice dinner. She doesn't need any of your baloney."

Mikayla had observed the two brothers kid one another all throughout the meal. Yet for all their verbal sparring there was also an undertone of affection.

"Now Cody," Carey said. "Don't give our guest the wrong idea. Zack is an excellent free throw shooter. And Zack, you need to get up and help clean off the table."

As Zack begrudgingly complied, Carey led Mikayla over to the couch and sat down next to her.

"I know you're going through a very rough time right now," the older woman said. "And I know we've just met, but I want you to know that we would be happy to do anything we can to help."

Having been in show business her entire life, Mikayla was used to people older than her saying all sorts of nice things and making wonderful-sounding promises...but this moment with Carey was something new. The young singer had never had an adult speak to her with such sincere warmth. Hearing those few words, spoken in that tone, was the closest Mikayla had ever come to feeling what it was like to have a mom.

It was no wonder she began to cry.

Carey put her arms around the girl and spoke softly. "It's okay, sweetie. Let it out."

Mikayla collapsed against her and wept.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Please review and comment.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

There was no sound at all in the Martin family suite apart from Mikayla's sobs and some gently whispered words of comfort from Carey. As the two females sat together on the couch, Zack and Cody worked silently in the kitchen. They washed the dishes and put them away as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb their emotionally distraught guest. When they were done, Mikayla was still crying in Carey's arms. The twins spoke to each other in hushed tones.

"Should we go over and try to help?" Zack asked.

"I want to," Cody admitted. "But there's nothing we can do that Mom's not already doing."

Zack nodded. "We'll just give them some space." He paused for a long while as he gazed over at Mikayla. Zack did not have the reputation for being as sensitive as his twin, but truthfully, he was a very compassionate young man in his own right. "We have to make things better for her," he whispered to Cody.

"I know."

"How do we do that?"

Cody was silent. Finally, he looked down at the floor. "I wish I knew."

* * *

Mikayla's crying was finally starting to subside when there was a knock at the door.

"That's probably London," Cody said. He looked to Mikayla. "I can tell her that now's not a good time."

"No," the girl answered as she sniffed back her remaining tears. "I'll be fine in a second."

"Come on," Carey told her as they both rose from the couch. "Let's get you cleaned up."

The two females made their way to the bathroom while Zack went to answer the door. As Cody had guessed, it was London...but she wasn't alone. Mr. Moseby was with her. The twins barely had time to nod to him before London started speaking excitedly.

"Where's Mikayla?" she asked. "Moseby's going fix everything for her."

"Hold on, London," the hotel manager cautioned. "Let's not overstate things."

"Can you really help her?" Cody asked.

Before Moseby could respond, Carey and Mikayla emerged from the bathroom. London waved to a greeting and Cody quickly introduced Mr. Moseby, since Mikayla seemed a bit nervous by the presence of someone she hadn't already met. Fortunately, the hotel manager could sense her discomfort and he made sure to speak in a very polite and friendly tone which helped put her at ease.

Once everyone had taken a seat in the living room, Moseby asked Mikayla a few questions about her living arrangements and any savings she might have. The young singer explained that she only had enough money to pay her bills for one more month.

"And do you have much that you'd need to move?" Moseby asked.

Mikayla shook her head. "I've had to sell most of my things."

"Well, at least there won't be any great moving expenses," Moseby concluded.

"But I have no place to move," she said.

"Yes, you do," London put in with a big smile. "You're going to live here at the Tipton!"

"I can't afford-" Mikayla began, but Moseby gestured to her indicating that he would explain.

"Since resuming my duties here as hotel manager, I've been reviewing how business went while I was gone," he said. "One major change I've noticed has to do with our lounge entertainment. In fact I was going to speak to you soon about that Carey, but now that Mikayla's situation has-"

"Wait one second," Zack interrupted. "London says Mikayla's going to live in the hotel, and you're talking about the lounge entertainment...which is Mom." Zack gave Moseby a dirty look. "You better not be firing Mom and giving Mikayla her job."

Everyone started talking at once after Zack made that accusation. After minute or two of chaos, Carey yelled to cut through the uproar.

"QUIET!"

After her shout had silenced everyone else, Carey continued in a calm tone. "I'm sure Mr. Moseby is not going to fire me." She then turned to the manager and whispered "You're not firing me, are you?"

Moseby rolled his eyes. "No, I am most certainly NOT going to fire Carey," he announced. "Zack jumped to a very incorrect conclusion. And if I may finish without interruption, you'll all see that firing Carey is the furthest thing from my mind."

The manager went on to explain that over the past several months, Carey's lounge act, which had always been successful, had actually experienced an increase in popularity. A very noticeable increase.

"The crowds have been great lately," Carey said with pride. "But I didn't realize I was that popular."

"Oh believe me, you are," Moseby assured her. "Perhaps you had more free time to rehearse while Zack and Cody were out at sea. Or maybe you simply had more energy to put into your performances, but whatever the reason...your act has become one of the hottest tickets in Boston."

"Way to go Mom," Zack said.

"We're proud of you," Cody added. Then he turned to Moseby. "But how does all this lead to Mikayla living at the hotel?"

"Because of the increased business in the lounge, the hotel could bring in a lot more revenue if we added performances. The demand right now would actually justify an afternoon show and two evening performances...all seven days of the week."

Carey's eyes went wide at that statement. Moseby noticed her shock.

"Yes, Carey, I know," he said. "Your contract gives you a much lighter schedule. I was going to talk to you about a new contract with more performances. Naturally an increase in pay would go along with it."

"I appreciate the offer," she answered. "And I could definitely use more money, but the schedule you just described...I don't think I could do that. Not without the quality of the show suffering."

"Which would hurt your popularity, and that's the last thing we want," Moseby said. "However, if we went to the new schedule but only had you work as many performances as you could comfortably handle, and hired a second singer to fill out the rest...."

Everyone in the room could see where this line of reasoning was leading, and now Zack, Cody and Carey were all wearing excited smiles that matched London's.

Mikayla however, looked unsure. "You want me to be the second lounge singer?"

"It's perfect," London said with glee.

"And you'd be our neighbor," Zack added. "We could hang out together." This idea appealed greatly to him.

"It would be nice," Cody chimed in. He also liked the idea of Mikayla being in the same building.

"I don't know," the young singer said in a worried tone. "I'd need to put an act together...pick the right songs. What if I'm no good?"

Carey tried to reassure the girl and offered to help her with the act. "Don't let the troubles you're going through shake your confidence. You've performed in front of thousands of people. You can handle the Tipton lounge."

Moseby also had some encouraging words. "You wouldn't have to give your first performance until you felt you were ready. We're not going to this new schedule overnight. We'll ease into it gradually to give both you and Carey time to adjust."

"But that doesn't mean you can't move in right away," London said happily. "We can have your suite ready tomorrow."

Mikayla's head was spinning. It had been only a matter of hours since she'd thought her entire life was ruined beyond repair. Now people that she'd just met were doing everything they could to help her. It was all too good to be true. It had to be. Her doubts caused her to try and think of some hidden drawbacks to Moseby's offer.

"You're all being so wonderful to me," she said. "And I don't want to sound ungrateful because I do need the job, but have you thought about how the press will react when they find out I'm working here?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," Moseby answered. "Are you worried that people will assume you're working here as a last resort? That everyone will think of you as a failure?"

Mikayla nodded. In her mind, she was a failure. Two years ago some people were telling her that she was going to be the next Hannah Montana, but now she was one step away from being homeless.

"Do keep in mind, this is a five star establishment," Moseby went on. "It's not like you'll be working at a budget motel."

The young singer suddenly realized that her concern about the media reaction might seem insulting to Mr. Moseby's hotel. Or even worse, insulting to Carey. Mikayla didn't want to imply that working as a lounge singer was somehow a second-rate job. She began to explain this, but the two adults told her not to worry.

"We know you weren't being insulting," Carey said.

"Unfortunately, I can't control how the press reports your story," Moseby added. "But I will use my authority as hotel manager to keep them from harassing you personally. I'll ban all reporters and photographers from the building if necessary."

"You might not have to," Zack said, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I know that look," Cody said as he observed his twin. "You've got something in mind."

"To handle the press, we just need the proper spin control," Zack said. "And who knows spin better than me?"

"You do realize that some people consider 'spin' to be just another term for lying, don't you?" Mr. Moseby asked sarcastically.

"Give him a chance," Cody replied. "This may be one of those rare times that Zack's devious nature could be used for good, instead of evil."

"Point taken," the manager conceded.

Ignoring the exchange, Zack continued to ponder the best way to handle the press. Finally, a sly grin appeared on his face.

"Here's what we tell anyone who asks about Mikayla's job," he said. "She's working here for fun. She took this job only as a personal favor to her brand new BFF...London Tipton."

"Me?" the heiress said. "Yay! I've got a new BFF!"

"It's the perfect solution," Zack went on. "We'll just have the girls hang out together in public, go to a few high profile parties, and then the press won't give a second thought to Mikayla being at the hotel. We don't even have to say she's living here. We can just say that she has a suite here reserved for her use, and act like she only stays in it part of the time."

Everyone was impressed with Zack's cover story. It was brilliant in its simplicity, and quite believable. Reporters would have no compelling reason to question it.

"And it's not even like we're being dishonest," London concluded. "Because Mikayla and I can be friends for real."

The young singer had to let out a laugh at London's enthusiasm. But she certainly agreed with the sentiment. Judging by all the help London and the others were giving her, Mikayla had found herself an entire room full of friends.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Please review. I need the feedback.  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Less than a week after she had first sat down to dinner with the Martin family, Mikayla was one floor below them relaxing in her very own suite. While her new place was not overly luxurious, she was happy to have it. She was also happy at the frequent visits she received from her new friends. She enjoyed their company.

Currently, she was enjoying the company of the Martin twins.

"You're lucky," Zack said to Mikayla as he flopped down on the sofa. "I know this place is just the same as our suite, but you have it all to yourself."

"Be glad you don't have to share your bathroom with two other people," Cody added.

"Oh, I am," she replied. "That does not sound like fun."

"Speaking of fun," Zack said with a grin. "What are we going to do to celebrate Mikayla's moving in? I suggest pizza and ice cream."

"You've made that suggestion a few times already," the singer noted. "Is food all you think about?"

"No way," he answered. "There are lots of other things I think about." He flashed her a sly smile. "I'll tell you all about them...when we have some privacy."

"Heel Zack," Cody said, as if speaking to a dog.

Mikayla laughed. She found both brothers quite amusing...and quite appealing. The twins were equally handsome, and while their personalities were quite different, both were very likable.

"I have an idea," Cody announced. "Mikayla, do you want to go catch Mom's show tonight? It would give you a chance to see what the lounge is like."

"That would be great," she answered. "I've been looking forward to hearing your Mom sing. So, are all three of us going?"

"Sure," Zack said as he looked at his watch. "We've got an hour until her show starts."

"Only an hour?" Mikayla asked. "I need to figure out what to wear."

Cody and Zack shared a look. Like most males, neither brother understood why women put so much time into deciding what to wear. They left Mikayla's suite to let her pick out an outfit, promising to be back in time to escort her to the lounge.

"I think I'll ask London to join us," Cody told his brother as they headed toward the elevator. "She always gets the best table in the house."

"Good thinking," Zack agreed. "And when we get to the table, do me a favor...sit with London so I can sit with Mikayla."

Cody frowned. "Actually, I want you to do me a favor. Stop hitting on Mikayla."

"Whoa." Zack stopped Cody in the hall before they got into the elevator. "Why should I do that? Because you want her?"

"I didn't say I wanted her. But you should stop hitting on her."

Zack felt his patience wearing thin. "I repeat...why?"

"Mikayla is going through a lot right now," Cody explained. "It's obviously been hard on her."

"You think I don't know that? I've been doing my part to help her out. Or hadn't you noticed?"

Cody sighed. "You are helping her. But I don't think you've considered how vulnerable she could be right now. It's not a good time for her to be getting involved with anyone. It would be easy for someone to take advantage of her."

"That's what you think I'm doing?" The anger in Zack's tone was clear.

"Calm down," Cody said. "I don't think you'd take advantage of her on purpose. But I'm saying that you could do that without meaning to. Either one of us could."

Zack raised an eyebrow.

"Think about it," Cody went on. You and I are both helping her at a time when she's really in need. She's likely to be vulnerable, but she's also probably grateful to both of us. That's not a good combination. Would you want Mikayla to go out with you just because she feels she owes you?"

Zack's anger faded. "I get what you're saying. And no, I wouldn't want that."

"Good," Cody answered. "So...just cool it with Mikayla until her life starts to calm down."

The twins got into the elevator. As the doors closed, Zack turned to his brother. "When things do calm down for her, am I going to be the only one asking her out?"

Cody let out a short, quick laugh. "She's a beautiful girl. I'm sure lots of guys will be asking her out."

"Yeah, but how many of those guys are currently in this elevator?"

Cody broke eye contact with his twin and looked straight ahead at the elevator doors.

"I can't predict the future, Zack."

* * *

Forty minutes after the twins had left her suite, Mikayla heard a knock at her door. When she answered it, she found not only Zack and Cody waiting outside her doorway, but London as well.

"Hey BFF," the heiress said as she gave the singer a hug.

Mikayla was glad that London was joining them to watch Carey's show. The singer appreciated the rich girl's cheerful attitude, since cheerfulness had been sorely lacking from Mikayla's life for some time. The two girls chatted during the elevator ride down to the lobby, in contrast to the Martin twins who were quiet for the most part. The quartet were led to the best table in the lounge (thanks to London, naturally), and they sat back and waited for the show to begin.

* * *

"She is awesome," Mikayla said breathlessly.

Carey Martin's show was running long, due to the audience applause taking quite a while to die down after each song.

"Depending on how many encores she does, we're going to be here all night," Zack joked. But despite his humor, he was as impressed as everyone else in the lounge. He'd seen his mother perform plenty of times in the past, but he'd never seen her hold an audience in the palm of her hand like this.

Cody was just as amazed as his brother. He wondered what was responsible for the improvement of the act. _Mr. Moseby said this all started while we were away on the ship, _he thought._ But does that mean Zack and I were holding Mom back in the past? _That idea worried Cody. He hated to think that he was such a burden to his mother that she could only be at her best when he wasn't around.

On stage, Carey raised a hand to flip back an errant lock of her long auburn hair and then launched into her next song, an old romantic standard. Her stage presence was uncanny. Every move she made seemed to form an intimate connection between herself and the audience.

Mikayla had performed in front of far larger crowds and had heard thousands of fans scream and cheer for her...but she felt those experiences paled next to what she was seeing now.

_The people here aren't reacting to Carey because she has a hit song or a video on MTV, _Mikayla thought_. They don't clap for her because she's famous or because there's been some big publicity campaign behind her. The crowd loves her because...she's making them love her. She's using nothing but her voice and her talent...and she's seducing everyone in this room. _

Mikayla got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she made these observations.

_How am I going to be able to work here?_ she worried. _I can't do what she's does._

_

* * *

_

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Please review.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Sitting in her dressing room, Carey leaned back in her chair and let out a satisfied sigh. Her show had just ended and the crowd had been very appreciative. She had spied her boys sitting in the audience with London and Mikayla and was interested in hearing what they thought of her performance. She didn't have to wait long to find out, as a knock on the door signaled the arrival of the four teens.

"Hey kids," Carey greeted them. "Did you like the show?"

Not surprisingly, the ever-talkative London spoke first. "Carey, you were...goooooood!"

"Yeah, Mom," Zack added. "You were fantastic! When Moseby changes your work schedule we need to talk about just how much more you're going to be paid. I think-"

"Zack," she cut him off. "We've gone through this before. You're not going to be my agent."

"You were great, Mom," Cody said in a sincere but subdued tone. "Better than great. Really."

"Thank you, honey." Carey replied.

Mikayla was the last to give her opinion. "I've never seen anything like that before," the young woman said with a note of awe in her voice.

Carey couldn't help but smile at all the praise. "Thanks guys. But it helped that I had a good crowd." She turned to Mikayla. "The audiences here are very kind. That will make it easier for you once you're ready to start."

Mikayla did not smile back, and that was when Carey noticed traces of sadness in the girl's eyes.

"The audiences here may be kind to you," the young singer said. "But I'm not half the performer you are."

Carey, along with the twins and London, immediately began trying to convince Mikayla otherwise.

"You had a number one hit," Zack pointed out.

"And a dozen other songs that couldn't crack the top forty," the girl countered. "My only hit was a fluke."

"Sweetheart, listen to me," Carey said in her best, motherly tone. "It was wrong that you were pushed into show business at such a young age, but that doesn't change the fact you landed a record deal, released a CD, and had a song go to the top of the charts. None of that could've happened if you didn't have talent."

Cody, Zack, and London were all quick to voice their agreement.

"Probably the only thing I have over you is experience," Carey continued. "I've been singing...slightly longer than you have."

"Slightly?" Zack laughed. "Don't let her kid you, Mikayla. Mom was an old pro before you were even born."

Carey gave her son a slightly annoyed look. "Honey," she told him. "Stop helping me." Then she turned her attention back to Mikayla. "You're going to be fine. Look, tomorrow after breakfast you and I can go down to the lounge during my rehearsal time. You can try a few songs, and maybe we'll come up with some ideas for your act."

Touched by Carey's kindness, Mikayla accepted the invitation.

* * *

The next day after breakfast, Carey went to the lounge to meet Mikayla while Zack headed out to the park with his skateboard. With the suite all to himself, Cody decided to indulge in some yoga practice. Unfortunately, he was unable to properly clear his mind and meditate...thoughts of two troubling matters kept drifting around his brain. Abandoning his yoga, Cody turned on the television but couldn't find any program to hold his interest.

His thoughts remained troubled.

Finally, he picked up the phone and dialed a friend's number.

"London, are you busy?"

* * *

"Come out on the balcony with me," London told Cody shortly after she'd welcomed him into her penthouse.

"You're sure this isn't a bad time?" he asked as he took note of her appearance. The heiress had her hair up and was wearing a bathrobe. Cody hoped that he hadn't disturbed London while she was in the shower.

"It's not a bad time," London answered as they made their way to the balcony. "You said you wanted to talk, so we can talk and enjoy the weather at the same time."

It was indeed a lovely summer day. As Cody took a seat he was surprised when London removed her bathrobe. Cody hadn't realized that the heiress was intending to sunbathe while they talked. And while he'd seen her in one-piece swimsuits plenty of times in the past, this was the first time he'd ever seen her in a bikini.

A very skimpy bikini.

"So what do you want to talk about?" London asked in her usual upbeat tone. She began applying sunscreen to her arms and shoulders while she waited for Cody to speak.

"I...uh...wow..." he said, and then silently cursed himself. He didn't want London to see him foolishly gawking at her. It wasn't like he'd never been aware of just how attractive she was.

But...that bikini...wow!

"What was that?" the heiress asked as she continued applying sunscreen. Luckily for Cody, she hadn't seemed to notice the effect her outfit (or lack thereof) was having on him.

Tearing his gaze away from London and focusing on the Boston skyline, Cody managed to compose himself. He then proceeded to tell the heiress about one of the matters that was bothering him...how his mother's performances had improved so much while he'd been away.

"I'm happy she's doing so well," he concluded. "But does this mean Zack and I have been holding her back?

London could tell that Cody was unhappy at that idea. She wished she had an answer to make him feel better. "Maybe you should ask Carey why she thinks her act got better," the heiress suggested. "Maybe something else is happening in her life that we don't know about, and that's the reason for the change."

"I hadn't thought of that," Cody admitted. "If there's something else going on...something nice that's making Mom happy. That would be great."

"Oooh," London said. "Maybe she's met someone special."

"I think she would have told Zack and me already if that were the case," Cody replied. "But I will talk to her."

"Great," the heiress said. "So, what should we talk about now?"

"Well, there's something else that's on my mind. It has to do with Mik-"

"Oh wait," London interrupted. "I want to turn over before we talk more."

Cody, who been looking at the skyline, turned his gaze back to London at that comment. The rich girl was turning over to lay on her stomach as she continued to soak up the sun.

"Could you put sunscreen on my back?" she asked.

"Sunscreen...me...uh," Cody stammered. If he could barely maintain his composure while looking at her in that bikini, how was he supposed to touch her?

"Come on," London implored. "I don't want to burn."

Taking a deep breath, Cody managed to keep his cool while he began to apply the sunscreen to his friend's back.

"Now, what were you starting to say before?" the heiress asked.

"Uh, we can talk about it later," he replied. It was too difficult for him to concentrate on conversation under these conditions. After finishing with the sunscreen, Cody thanked London for listening to him, made an excuse to leave, and hurried back to his suite.

Then, he took one of the longest cold showers of his life.

* * *

**To be continued... **

_**author's note: **Please read and comment.  
_


	8. Chapter 8

Carey Martin could feel a major headache coming on. Her rehearsal time with Mikayla had been very informative...and very frustrating. It had quickly become apparent that the young singer was going to need a lot of work before she could start performing in the lounge.

When Carey got back to her suite she took a couple aspirin and washed them down with some juice. As she went to sit down in the living room, she saw Cody came out of the bathroom.

"Hey Mom," he said. "I'm glad you're back. I want to ask you something about your lounge act."

"Oh honey," she answered wearily. "Can you ask me later? Right now I don't even want to think about the lounge."

Sensing that something was wrong, Cody sat down by her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine honey. I'm just a little worried about Mikayla. And a little angry." She paused. "No, actually I'm super angry. I swear, if I ever meet that girl's parents...well, I may need your help disposing of the bodies."

Cody raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Huh?"

"It's bad enough that they exploited their daughter in the first place," Carey continued. "But they didn't even see to it that she developed properly as a performer."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"Mikayla has a good voice," Carey explained. "But her vocal range is limited. That by itself isn't a big problem, there are lots of successful singers with limited range...but those singers know how to compensate for their weaknesses. Mikayla doesn't. When I had her try a few songs in the lounge, I was shocked. She's nowhere near ready to start working here."

Cody was both alarmed and confused by this news. "How can that be? She's performed plenty of times on TV and at concerts."

"I talked to her about that and from what she told me, I'm pretty sure that...." Carey trailed off as an idea struck her. "Honey, get your computer. I think I can show you the problem."

After Cody had grabbed his laptop, Carey asked him to look for any the videos he could find of Mikayla performing. There were plenty of examples on YouTube of old television appearances, mostly of her singing _If Cupid Had a Heart_.

"That seemed fine to me," Cody commented after watching one of the videos.

"Now watch another one," Carey said.

Cody did. And then he viewed a third video. Then a fourth. The problem soon became apparent.

"She's giving almost the same performance each time," he said in surprise. "Even when the songs are different...the way she tilts her head, the way she holds the microphone...it's all the same."

"That's all she knows how to do," Carey replied. "Her parents, her manager, her old record label...none of them treated her like a performer. They treated her like a product. They took a pretty girl with a nice voice, gave her a catchy pop song to sing, and then just had her do it repeatedly."

"But eventually, people go tired of the song," Cody observed.

Carey nodded. "And instead of showing her how to do something different, they just kept giving her new songs and had her perform them the same way, hoping that they'd strike gold again."

Cody felt disgust at the way people had used the young singer so callously.

"By the way," Carey said. "Don't talk to Mikayla about any of this. She's in a fragile state right now. She knows she needs to improve but she's afraid she won't be able to. We need to be positive around her. Help her work on her confidence."

"Right," Cody agreed. "I'll do whatever it takes to help her."

Hearing the conviction in her son's voice, Carey looked at him thoughtfully. "Sounds like you care a lot about her."

"She's been on my mind a lot," he admitted. "And it's actually bothering me."

"How so?"

"I feel bad for her and all she's going through," he explained. "I want to do more than just help her. I want to take care of her. Protect her."

"I can understand that," Carey said. "I feel the same way."

"The thing is, I've been questioning my motivations a little. She's...well, let's be honest...she's a beautiful girl."

Carey let out a soft chuckle. "And you're attracted to her."

"Yeah, I am. But things are complicated right now. She's got so much to deal with." He sighed. "And I'm just starting to feel like I'm over Bailey."

Carey felt sympathetic for her son. She knew that he'd briefly dated Bailey, a classmate from the semester at sea program, but that the girl had decided they worked better as friends than as a couple.

"And then there's Zack," Cody added. "He's been hitting on Mikayla so much that I actually asked him to back off."

"Oh boy," Carey said softly. Things had a tendency to get messy whenever her sons became interested in the same girl. "Are you two going to be able to handle things in a mature way?"

"I'm going to try, Mom. And Zack said he'd back off from Mikayla until her life calmed down. I'm going to do the same."

"I think that's for the best," Carey said, silently hoping that both her sons would be able follow through on their good intentions.

* * *

The next couple of weeks at the hotel saw developments both good and bad. Carey spent a lot of time helping Mikayla develop her talent. The young singer worked very hard, but the results were mixed. She did show definite improvement, but she was constantly stressed out about her progress. Despite all Carey's encouragement, Mikayla's self-confidence continued to suffer.

Zack and Cody both did their best to cheer the girl up...individually. Whenever the two brothers were around her at the same time there was an unspoken tension in the air. As a result, Mikayla hardly ever saw the two together. But at least she was able to enjoy their company on a one-on-one basis.

The one person who did stay constantly positive was London. She and Mikayla got along very well, their personalities proving to be very compatible. As an added bonus, Mikayla had developed a taste for 'the good life' back when her career had first taken off, and now she got to experience it again by tagging along with London on lavish shopping trips and going with her to the most exclusive parties.

On a limo ride back from one such party, the two girls found themselves talking about their favorite pair of twins.

"Do you ever bring Cody and Zack with you to one of these parties?" Mikayla asked.

"No, I haven't," London answered. "Do you think they'd enjoy it? All the other party guests would be rich or famous. Don't you think the guys would feel out of place?"

The singer shook her head. "No way. With Cody being so smart and Zack being so...Zack, I think they could fit in with any crowd. Don't you think it would be fun if we could all do something together?"

"Yeah, it would be," the heiress agreed.

When the two girls arrived back at the hotel, they were surprised to run into Zack in the lobby.

"Hey ladies," he greeted them. "Enjoy your night out?"

"Sure did," London answered. "But what are you doing down here so late?"

"Were you waiting up for us?" Mikayla teased.

"Nah. I just got back from the movies," he explained. "There was supposed to be a midnight showing of _Monster Apocalypse _tonight, but when I got to the theater, it was sold out."

"Sorry your plans didn't work out," London said.

"Yeah, I'm crushed. But I think I could get over it if I had some female companionship," he finished as he flashed a wicked grin towards Mikayla. While it was true he'd agreed to back off from her for the time being, he couldn't help flirting sometimes.

"Well. I'm not tired," the singer replied. "Are you, London?"

"Nope," the heiress answered. "What do you want to do?"

The three friends started tossing out ideas on what they could do. Their options were somewhat limited due to the lateness of the hour. Somehow in the course of their conversation, mention was made of the hot tub in London's penthouse. The idea of a nice relaxing soak sounded appealing to all three of them.

"Alright," Mikayla said. "Let's all go grab our swimsuits and meet up at the penthouse." She turned to Zack and smiled. "Ask Cody to join us, okay?"

"Yeah," London added. "It'll be more fun with all four of us."

"Sure," Zack said without much enthusiasm.

* * *

_He's probably asleep_, Zack thought as he entered his suite to fetch his swimming trunks. _So I won't have to ask him to come along. _

Zack made his way quietly to the bedroom he shared with Cody, careful not to wake his mother on the way. But when he entered the bedroom he was surprised to find Cody was still awake, reading as he lay in bed.

"Back from the movies already?" Cody asked.

Zack explained how his original plans for the evening had fallen through. As he did so, he carefully reached into his dresser drawer and stuffed his trunks under his shirt, hoping that his brother wouldn't notice. Since Cody's attention was focused on his book, Zack was successful in his task.

"Where are you going now?" his brother asked as Zack tried to leave.

"Not tired," he answered. "Going to go for a walk down in the lobby. Might help me sleep."

Cody thought this was little odd, but shrugged it off and kept reading.

* * *

"I'm afraid Cody's already asleep," Zack announced when he got up to London's penthouse.

Mikayla and London both had similar looks of disappointment flash across their faces at those words.

"Hey, we're still going to have fun," Zack said.

The three teens then went into different rooms and changed into their swimwear. When Zack made his way to the hot tub, Mikayla and London were already there. His eyes went wide when he saw them.

"Whoa," he gasped, and then smiled. "Nice."

* * *

**To be continued... **

_**author's note: **Please comment. I'm curious as to how all of you think the pairings will end up...because anything could happen at this point. Maybe Bailey or Maddie or Max will show up. (I have no plans for the last three right now, but who knows if I'll change my mind?)  
_


	9. Chapter 9

"I think Zack likes what he sees," Mikayla said with a sidelong glance towards London.

"Why wouldn't he?" the heiress replied with a confident smile. "We are gorgeous."

Zack had no argument at all with that statement. Both of the girls looked stunning in their swimsuits. Mikayla's was a designer black and white suit that London had bought for her on their last shopping trip. While it was a one-piece, it had large diamond-shaped windows cut out of the sides, revealing tantalizing glimpses of bare skin. But London was not to be out done when it came to bare skin. The heiress was wearing the same azure-colored string bikini that Cody had seen her in a couple of weeks earlier.

The three teens entered the hot tub and settled into the soothing waters. Conversation stayed light hearted, with Zack and London telling stories about their time out at sea.

"That sounds so cool," Mikayla said. "I'd love to go on a cruise someday."

"We should totally do that," London said. "Except without having to go to school while we're out there."

"When summer is over, are you two going back to the ship for another semester?" the singer asked.

"I don't know yet," London replied. "Haven't really thought about it."

"Me neither," Zack added. "School's the last thing on my mind right now. I just want to enjoy the summer."

The three continued talking, and the girls were treated to a collection of Zack's favorite jokes. Some of them were genuinely funny, many of them hopelessly corny...so both of the girls took turns laughing and groaning. Mikayla however had to repeatedly deal with a minor annoyance. Like London, she'd pinned her hair up to keep it out of the water, but the singer's long locks kept coming loose.

"Oh enough already," she said as she removed the hair pins and tossed them aside.

"You're going to get your hair wet," London said.

"Ya think?" Mikayla replied with a grin before dunking her head underneath the water. She tilted her head back as she came up so that her dark tresses were slicked back and didn't fall in her face.

"The wet look works for you," Zack commented.

"Then why don't you try it?" she asked before quickly reaching down into the water and grabbing his ankle. Before Zack could react, Mikayla had pulled him underwater. He came back up sputtering as the singer giggled.

"You got him good," London laughed, causing Zack to turn his attention to her.

"Hmm...looks like it's your turn now," he said.

The heiress stopped laughing and grabbed onto the edge of the hot tub. "Don't even think about it," she gasped.

Zack and Mikayla exchanged evil grins and the each went for one of London's ankles. The rich girl kicked and screamed but her friends were determined and each managed to grab hold of her.

"Wait!" London cried, realizing she couldn't fight the inevitable. "I surrender." She let go of the tub's edge and unpinned her hair, letting the ends of it fall into the water before she took a deep breath and submerged herself completely. "There, happy now?" she asked when she came back up.

Neither Mikayla nor Zack responded verbally. Instead, they started a splash fight.

* * *

Down in his bedroom, Cody had grown too tired to continue with his book. He put it down and turned off his reading light, but was surprised when he glanced at the clock.

_It's almost three in the morning,_ he thought. _And Zack's not back?_

While the twins could pretty much stay up as late as they liked during the summer, Zack being out at this hour was unusual. Cody started to worry. While they may not have been getting along perfectly as of late, Zack was still his brother.

_He probably just sat down in the lobby and fell asleep,_ Cody thought as he reluctantly got out of bed. _But I'd better go check. _

* * *

"Wow, it's late," Mikayla said.

"Geez," Zack replied when he looked at the clock on London's wall. "I'm not even tired."

"Me neither," London said, but then yawned. "Okay, maybe just a little."

"I guess we should call it a night," Mikayla sighed, as she exited the hot tub. "Otherwise I'll sleep the whole day away tomorrow."

Zack was disappointed that his fun with the girls was coming to an end. "I think I'll soak for just a few more minutes," he said as he watched Mikayla walk to the other room to dry off and change.

"Don't let her catch you staring like that," London told Zack as soon as Mikayla exited.

"Who was staring? I wasn't staring," he protested, then looked slightly worried. "Was it that bad?"

"Not really," the heiress answered. "I don't think she noticed."

They both got out of the hot tub at the same time, continuing their conversation as they did so.

"What if she had seen me staring a little?" Zack asked. "It's not like it's a bad thing. She'd just know that I think she's hot. It's a compliment."

"That's one way of looking at it," London replied. "Or she could think you're an obsessed stalker."

"Well, what do you think when you catch guys staring at you?" Zack handed the heiress a towel as he waited for her answer.

"It depends on whether I think the guy's cute or not," she admitted with a smile.

"Okay," Zack said. "So if a guy who looked like me was staring at you, what would you think? That I'm complimenting you, or that I'm stalker material?"

The heiress considered this and then laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know how to answer," she explained. "We've been friends for years...I don't think about you like I do about other guys. Besides, you never look at me that way."

"Not true," Zack said.

London raised an eyebrow at this. "You've looked at me...that way?"

His response was a charming smile, with just the barest hint of embarrassment. "Sort of hard not to when you're dressed like that."

The heiress blushed and felt suddenly self-conscious. This was a new experience for her. She'd seen Zack hit on countless girls over the years, but had never been on the receiving end of his flirtations. It was odd...but not exactly unenjoyable.

Zack was experiencing similar feelings. He was suddenly struck by the fact that he'd never flirted with London before, and he couldn't figure out why that was. And though he was flirting now, he hadn't even intended to. He'd just been asking London questions to try and guess how Mikayla's mind worked.

After a few moments, the two friends experienced another shared thought. They both wondered how they'd ended up standing so close to each other. In fact, their faces were close enough that if either of them wanted to lean in...just a little....

"Um...Zack," the heiress finally said in a quiet tone. "I need to go change. It's late."

"S-sure," he answered, taking a step back. "Uh...thanks for inviting me up. It was...fun."

* * *

Cody had been unable to find Zack in the lobby, or anywhere else in the hotel that would have been open at three in the morning. Having run out of places to look, Cody found himself standing outside the door of Mikayla's suite. He was still concerned that something may have happened to his brother, however there was also a nagging suspicion that had taken hold in his mind. What if his twin's disappearance was merely a plot of Zack's to spend time with Mikayla? But even if that were true, it wasn't like Cody could knock on the singer's door at such an ungodly hour

_I should just go back to bed, _he thought. _Maybe Zack came home while I was out looking for him. _

But when Cody went to the elevator, he was shocked when the doors opened to reveal Mikayla. The singer was wide-awake, her hair was damp, and the expression of surprise on her face matched Cody's own.

"What are you doing up?" they asked each other at once.

"I was looking for Zack," Cody managed to answer the question first. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, probably back in your suite," she answered. "We both just left London's."

"You two were with London?"

"Yeah, we were all using her hot tub," she explained. "We had a great time. I wish you could have been there too, but Zack told us you were asleep."

"I see," Cody said in a measured, if somewhat cold tone. He was quite upset with his brother now, but didn't want to show his anger in front of Mikayla.

"So, you woke up and went looking for Zack when you saw he wasn't home?" the singer guessed.

"Something like that," he replied.

"You're such a thoughtful guy." Mikayla smiled warmly. Her voice took on a lower, softer tone as she continued speaking. "I really wish you'd been there. I like spending time with you."

"I like spending time with you too," he said as he looked into the singer's sparkling eyes. His anger at Zack drifted towards the back of his mind as all he could focus on the beautiful girl in front of him.

"You know, everyone here had been so great to me," she went on. "But I keep worrying it's not going to last. I'm scared that everything I have could just be taken away at any moment."

Cody tried to speak some reassuring words, but Mikayla stopped him.

"No, let me finish," she continued. "I hate feeling scared. So whenever I can forget about my fears and relax, those times really matter to me. Like when I'm hanging with London, or joking around with Zack...or when I'm with you." She moved closer to him. "It feels good when we're together. I want to feel that way all the time."

The next thing Cody knew, Mikayla had taken hold of his hand and led him to the doorway of her suite. She opened her door and then looked into his eyes as she tightened her grip on his hand. His heart beat faster as he realized she had no intention of letting go.

"Don't leave," she said in a tone that was seductive yet also pleading. "Make me feel good."

* * *

After returning home from London's, Zack had snuck quietly into the bedroom without turning on the light. As a result, he hadn't noticed that Cody wasn't there.

And when he woke up the next morning he didn't think twice about the fact that Cody's bed was empty. Zack just assumed his brother, who was usually an early riser, had already gotten up.

He had no idea that Cody was still sound asleep, one floor below.

Or that Mikayla was sleeping in his arms.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **Gasp! What has Cody done? Will this story need to change to an "M" rating? Find out in the next chapter. Now on a more serious note...I hate to complain but last week I posted 5 chapters of this story, and got a grand total of 5 new reviews. Thank you very much to those that did read and review, I truly appreciate it. However, if this story continues to get so little attention I can only assume that it's just not that good and not worth continuing. _


	10. Chapter 10

Cody lay awake in Mikayla's bed while the singer continued to sleep, her head resting on his chest. He gently moved one hand to stoke her hair while he looked at her. It made him happy to see the subtle smile and overall look of contentment on her face. To Cody, she looked like a sleeping, dark-haired angel.

Her eyes fluttered and then opened. She saw Cody's face and her smile grew larger. "Hey," she said in a sleepy voice.

"Good morning," he replied.

Mikayla snuggled against him. "This is nice," she sighed. "Have you done this before? It's my first time."

Those words cut through Cody's relaxed mood as his mind filled with confusion.

"W-what?" he stammered. "What do you mean? We didn't...last night...all we did was...."

As Cody tried and failed to form a complete sentence, Mikayla lifted her head to look in his eyes. The smile on her face grew more and more mischievous by the second.

"I meant this was the first time I ever slept in the same bed with a guy," she said. "And the first time I ever woke up with a hot guy's arms around me. What did you think I was talking about?"

Cody blushed and then chuckled as he saw the twinkle in Mikayla's eyes and her impish grin. His dark-haired angel certainly had a devilish sense of humor.

"So answer the question," she said with a laugh. "How many girls have you woken up with before?"

"You're the first." Cody resumed stroking her hair, but began speaking in a more serious tone. "So, you're a virgin?"

"Yeah," she answered as she laid her head back on his chest. "You too?"

He nodded. "Last night with you was the most I've ever done. You know, when you pulled me through your doorway...I wasn't sure what you had in mind."

"To tell you the truth," she said quietly. "I wasn't sure either."

Cody's memory turned back to the night before. He and Mikayla had barely spoken once they'd entered the suite. They'd simply stood and gazed at one another for the longest time.

Then they'd kissed.

Cody wasn't completely sure who'd started it. Maybe he'd kissed Mikayla first, maybe she'd kissed him. Whatever the case, the first kiss had been followed by many more. Then there had been the touching, the tentative exploration of one another's bodies. The gentle but exciting caresses had continued until both teens had fallen victim to lack of sleep. But even then, Mikayla had not been willing to let go of Cody, and that was what had led them to where they were now.

"What if I things had gone farther last night?" Cody asked. "Did you think about that when you asked me to stay?"

Mikayla lifted her head again to look in his eyes. "All I knew was that I didn't want to be alone," she admitted. "Why didn't you...do more?"

Cody was silent. The truth was that he'd come very, very close to doing more. It was only a combination of factors that had stopped him: the fact that they'd both been very tired, the fact that they didn't have any protection, and one other thing. The thing that bothered Cody the most.

Mikayla could sense he was troubled. "If you had...if we had done more," she said. "I think it would have been okay."

Seeing the girl's face as she said those words only made Cody more upset. There was the thing that bothered him so much, the thing he kept seeing in Mikayla's eyes. That desperate, eager-to-please look.

"You've done so much for me," she went on. "I do owe you."

"No, you don't. Not like that." He gently pushed her away, just enough so that he could sit up in bed. "Anything that happens between you and me, I want it to be something that you want. Not something that you feel you have to do."

Mikayla just looked at him. His sincerity both confused and amazed her. All her life, the people around her had followed the same cynical standards of behavior: quid pro quo, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Her parents and her former manager had taught her that all relationships were based on people using other people.

But her new friends didn't operate that way. Especially not Cody. Part of her kept thinking he was too good to be true, but another part remained hopeful.

"I feel safe when I'm with you," she whispered, as she leaned against Cody.

He put his arms around her. "You'll always be safe with me."

* * *

Although Mikayla wouldn't have minded doing so, she knew she couldn't spend all day in her suite with Cody. For one thing, she had to go to her regular rehearsal session with Carey. But later that morning when she arrived in the lounge, Mikayla was informed of a surprising change of plans.

"No rehearsal for you today," Carey informed her. "It's time to try something different."

At first the young singer was worried. Was she so hopeless that Carey had given up on trying to help her? "But I need more work," the bewildered teen protested.

Carey shook her head. "You do, but not the kind of work we've been doing." She led Mikayla to the elevator and hit the button for the 23rd floor.

"I've shown you everything I know about performing," Carey explained on the ride upwards. "And there's nothing I've shown you that you haven't been able to do. The problem is you still don't know how to apply what you've learned."

Mikayla couldn't argue with that statement. Whenever Carey gave her specific directions on how to move or sing, the teen followed her instructions perfectly. But when Mikayla tried to sing without guidance, her performances turned stiff and mechanical.

"You need to loosen up and learn to enjoy what you're doing on stage," Carey said. "If you start having fun up there, I think things will fall into place for you."

When they got to the Martin family suite, Carey pulled out several cases of CDs.

"You've been singing your whole life," the older woman told Mikayla. "But it's always been work for you. Now it's time for you to sing just for the love of the music."

Carey then proceeded to pick out some of her favorite tracks and play them. Sometimes she sang along and encouraged Mikayla to do the same. Other times she just sat back and listened. But whatever she did, she kept the atmosphere light and informal. Mikayla appreciated the lack of pressure.

"This is some collection you have," she commented as she went through Carey's CDs. And indeed, it was. There was a wide range of music represented. Easy listening standards, some of which were part of Carey's lounge act, were mixed in with classic rock, pop, show tunes, a surprising amount of old school heavy metal, and a smattering of many other genres.

"Some of it is music I listened to when I was your age," Carey explained. "A lot of it is stuff my ex-husband introduced me to. Music has always been Kurt's number one passion and he turned me on to many acts I might never have heard of otherwise. It's one of the things I'll always be grateful to him for." She paused for a moment and looked contemplative. "It's probably third on the list of things I'm grateful to him for."

"You have a list?"

Carey laughed. "It's a short list. Kurt's a decent man and a good father, but he was pretty mediocre as a husband. So there's not a lot I'm grateful to him for, but the things I am tend to be memorable."

Mikayla listened with interest. She'd never met Kurt, but Zack and Cody had both spoken highly of their father. However, this was the first time she'd ever heard Carey talk about him.

"If music is number three on the list, what is the number one thing you're grateful to him for?"

Carey beamed with motherly pride. "Zack and Cody, of course."

"Makes sense," Mikayla replied. "Then what's number two?"

Carey opened her mouth as if to answer, but almost instantly snapped it shut. Her cheeks colored slightly, and there was a certain glint in her eye when she finally did respond. "Don't worry about number two."

"Sounds juicy," Mikayla said with a suggestive grin. "Come on, give me details."

"Actually, I think it would be illegal for me to give details about that to anyone under twenty-one," Carey joked. "Let's just say that overall he was a mediocre husband, but...he did have his moments."

After sharing a laugh, the two singers went back to discussing music. Carey told Mikayla to spend the next few days going through the CDs and picking out which songs she enjoyed the most. Once that was done, Carey would tell her what their next step would be.

* * *

As evening fell in Boston, it was still afternoon on the other side of the country. And in Malibu, two teenage girls were watching a celebrity news program on television. Unlike most teenage girls engaged in that activity however, one of these girls was a featured topic on the show.

"And here's our favorite pop princess giving her fans a thrill in Los Angeles last night," the television announcer gushed as footage of Hannah Montana at an autograph signing was shown.

"Do you think those pants look okay?" Miley Stewart (who was secretly Hannah Montana) asked her best friend Lily. "I liked them yesterday when I put them on, but on TV they don't look so hot."

"Yeah, I don't think they look as good in that lighting," her friend answered. "But don't worry about it. They still look nice."

"I guess so," Miley said with a shrug. Despite being one of the most popular entertainers in the world, her family and friends had always done a good job of keeping her grounded. She wasn't going to throw some diva-like tantrum just because she didn't like how a pair of pants looked on television.

Which is not to say she was incapable of throwing diva-like tantrums. The next bit of celebrity news proved that point.

"Speaking of pop princesses," the announcer's voice droned on. "Look who's been seen at all the biggest hot spots up and down the East coast...Mikayla."

"TV say what?" a stunned Miley said as the footage on screen showed Mikayla and London Tipton enjoying some nightlife. She began to scowl as the announcer went on to detail how the new BFFs had been making quite a splash in elite social circles.

"Of course, Mikayla has been flying under our celebrity radar for a while now," the announcer continued. "So we're all happy to see this talented songbird out and about again."

"Talented songbird?!" Miley exclaimed. "More like a no-talent birdbrain!"

"Don't let it get to you," Lily advised. While she was no fan of Mikayla's she wasn't bothered by seeing a short mention made of her on television. "The only reason she got any coverage was because she's hanging out with London Tipton."

"And why is that?" Miley asked petulantly. "Why does Mikayla get to be the BFF of the richest heiress in America, while I'm stuck with you?"

Lily made a face at her friend. "Hey!"

"I didn't mean it like that," Miley said with a contrite smile. "It just burns me up that they'd do a story about her right after they do a story about me."

Miley's anger was perfectly understandable to anyone who knew her history with Mikayla. While the two had always appeared friendly to one another publicly, in private Mikayla had been unfriendly and rude from her very first meeting with Hannah Montana. Miley had naturally taken quite a disliking to the girl and had been happy when the other singer's career had gone downhill.

"Look, it's just one little news item," Lily pointed out. "It's not like she's got a new CD or anything else coming out. We're probably not going to hear anymore about her after this."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Miley agreed.

They had no way of knowing how wrong they were.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **So how does everyone feel about the way things are going for Cody and Mikayla? There are more twists and turns to come. If my plans work out the next chapter will have more focus on Cody, Zack, and London. _


	11. Chapter 11

Cody didn't immediately leave Mikayla's suite when the singer went off to rehearse with Carey. Instead, he stayed in her bed and ruminated on the night before. There was a mixture of feelings running through him. Unfortunately, not all of those feelings were positive.

To be sure, he had enjoyed his night with Mikayla. The sensations were so fresh that he could relive every moment by just closing his eyes and thinking about her. The softness of her lips, the feel of her body pressed against him, the scent of her hair...it was all so wonderful.

Which made it all the more frustrating that he wasn't very happy with himself. His time with Mikayla may have been magical, but the circumstances surrounding it cast a pall over the entire experience. For one thing, even though he'd shown some restraint and acted responsibly by not taking things too far with Mikayla, Cody still felt that he had taken advantage of the girl, at least partially. When she'd first moved into the hotel, he'd told himself he wasn't going to make any moves on her until she had her life in order. But that's not how things had worked out.

Of course, that was all due to Zack. If he hadn't been so deceptive with Cody the night before, then Cody would never have ended up in front of Mikayla's door. Everything would have gone much differently. But while considering the different ways events could have unfolded, Cody's imagination took some disturbing turns. Suppose for instance, he hadn't gone out looking for Zack and ran into Mikayla. The most likely result in that scenario was that the singer would have gone to bed alone...but what if something else had happened? What if Zack had ended up escorting the girl to her suite? What if Mikayla had pulled Zack through her door?

That thought bothered Cody on numerous levels. Certainly Mikayla would have lost her virginity in that scenario. Cody himself had barely been able to show proper restraint with the girl, so he was certain Zack wouldn't have. But beyond that, Cody was bothered by the idea of Mikayla pulling his brother through her door. She was so in need of comfort that she probably would have. And that made Cody feel, in some ways, that his night with the singer was somehow less special.

But no...he didn't want to think that. Yes, Mikayla was lonely and in need of comfort. And yes, if circumstances had been different, she might have turned to someone else...but that didn't mean that there wasn't a real connection between her and Cody. They had a definite chemistry together.

So perhaps last night hadn't been the ideal way for a relationship to start, but it wasn't like Cody could change what had happened. Mikayla was a beautiful and captivating girl who enjoyed being with him. And he enjoyed being with her. That was all that really mattered, wasn't it?

* * *

Zack was in the living room playing videogames when Cody came in. Zack wouldn't have taken much notice of his twin, except for the fact that Cody was still wearing his pajamas and a bathrobe.

"Dude, you never got dressed this morning?" Zack asked.

"Just got home," Cody answered matter of factly.

"What?"

Cody looked in his brother's eyes. "It's a long story and the details don't matter. Here's what's important. You and I haven't been getting along because we've both been interested in Mikayla. That's over now. No more competition. Mikayla's mine."

Zack stood up, an incredulous look on his face. "She's yours? I don't think so. Where do you get off walking in here...." He trailed off as he started to piece the clues together. "Wait...were you with Mikayla?"

Cody nodded, and Zack took an angry step towards him.

"You told me to cool it with her and then you spend the night with her?!"

"Technically I spent the morning with her," Cody replied coldly. "After she got back from the hot tub party with you and London."

"I...that was..." Zack sputtered before taking a moment to compose himself. "Okay, I lied so I could spend time with Mikayla without you. But I didn't try anything. You can ask London. She was with us the whole time."

"I believe you," Cody said in a neutral tone. "And it doesn't matter. I didn't plan what happened last night...but it happened. So, let's put it all behind us. Like I said, no more competition. Mikayla's with me." He paused and made an effort to speak in a friendlier tone. "Seriously, I'd like it if we could get along again. We've had our differences in the past, but never like this. Neither of us needs this kind of tension. And Mikayla certainly doesn't."

Zack frowned. The truth was, part of him agreed with his twin. He didn't like the way things had become so strained between them. But at the same time, his pride was hurt. He wasn't about to let Cody simply dictate the way things would be, at least not before he had a chance to speak with Mikayla. He turned away from his brother without a word and walked out of the suite.

"That didn't go well," Cody muttered.

* * *

Up in her penthouse, London was in an unusually serious mood. Having led an extremely privileged life, she'd rarely had to worry about weighty issues. Mostly she just concerned herself with having fun. As a result, she often seemed simple-minded and ditzy, but in fact she was smarter than most people realized. The problem was she didn't use her intelligence that much, so on those rare occasions that she tried to sit down and really think, it could take her a considerable amount of time to get her brain firing on all cylinders.

But since she'd woken up this morning, she'd spent pretty much every moment pondering the same subject…so there was no doubt her mind was operating at peak performance.

Unfortunately, in this case, that wasn't enough. Which was to be expected. The issue on London's mind was a matter of feelings and not logic. Emotions were very hard to dissect rationally.

_I need to talk to someone,_ she thought_. But who?_

She ran through the possibilities. Moseby was always an option. Carey gave good advice as well, though in this particular case London didn't know if it would be appropriate to talk to her.

"I wish Maddie was here," she said aloud. Less than a second later, the penthouse doorbell rang. London's eyes widened in surprise. "No way. Did I wish her back from Africa?"

When the heiress made her way to the door however, it wasn't Maddie that she found. It was Mikayla.

"Hey Lon," the singer said cheerfully. "You busy?"

"No, come in," the rich girl replied with a smile. Maddie may not have been available, but Mikayla was her friend too. Perhaps she'd be the right person to seek advice from. "I'm glad you're here. I've got something I want to talk about."

"Cool," Mikayla responded. "I came up here because I need to talk to someone too."

"Really?" London asked. "Okay, you go first."

Mikayla was anxious to tell London about her night with Cody, but when she looked at her friend she noted a slightly troubled look in the rich girl's eyes. "No, you go first. You seem like you have something big on your mind."

The two teens sat down on London's couch and the heiress started talking. She told Mikayla about the 'moment' she'd had with Zack the previous night when the two had been alone.

"And I've been thinking about it ever since," she admitted. "It was so…different."

"But was it bad?"

"No," the heiress answered. "But it was strange. All this time I've known him, and I've never thought of him…you know…like that. But now it's got me thinking."

"Go on," Mikayla urged. She was excited at the idea of London and Zack as a couple. Both of them were great people. And now with the way things were going with Cody, all four of them could double date.

"It's got me thinking that just because I've been friends with someone for a long time, that doesn't mean feelings can't change. It doesn't mean that maybe we couldn't become more than friends."

Mikayla nodded eagerly and encouraged London to continue.

"And just because someone's a little younger than me…there's nothing wrong with that. Right?"

"Nothing wrong at all," the singer agreed.

London appreciated her friend's supportive words. The traces of worry vanished from her eyes and a big grin appeared on her face. "Alright," she declared as she stood up. "I'm going to tell him how I feel."

"That's fantastic," Mikayla said. "And I just know things are going to work out. You and Zack would be great together."

London turned back to her friend. "Oh, I didn't mean Zack."

Mikayla was utterly confused. "Huh?"

"What happened with Zack was nice," she explained. "And it made me realize that - yeah, he is definitely an attractive guy. I could totally see him as date-able. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was someone else that I've never thought of in that way before. Someone who I'm closer to than Zack. Someone I really care about a lot."

"Someone else that's younger than you?" Mikayla asked with a growing sense of dread.

The heiress nodded. "And someone just as handsome." Her smile grew wider.

"Then the guy you're talking about is…"

"Cody," London said with a dreamy look in her eyes. "I finally see that he's the perfect guy for me."

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Mikayla? London? Who's better for Cody? Who's better for Zack? Voice your opinions. _


	12. Chapter 12

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" London asked.

Mikayla struggled to come up with a response. She was still reeling from the news that the heiress had set her sights on Cody. Certainly it wasn't a good time to admit that she'd woken up in Cody's arms that morning.

"Is something wrong?" the heiress questioned. She'd noticed that the singer, who'd been so cheerful at the start of their conversation, had grown quiet and was no longer smiling.

"No, I...I forgot something," Mikayla lied. "I just remembered...I've got to go." She hurried towards the door. "Sorry to run. We'll talk later."

"Um...okay," London replied, but the singer was out the door before she could add: "Bye."

* * *

_This isn't fair_, Mikayla thought as she rode the elevator down to her floor. _This is so completely not fair! _

The singer didn't know what to do. For the first time in her life she had real friends, and she'd thought that she'd just gained a boyfriend. But now it could all fall apart. In some ways, she wasn't surprised. After all bad things that had happened to her in the past, she'd grown to expect the worst. And it made sense that London would want Cody. Back when Mikayla had first met them, she'd noticed how well the two got along.

_But he's mine now_, she thought. _ I need him. _

Yet how could she compete with London? In the past, whenever Mikayla had found herself in any sort of competition with someone else, she'd do whatever she could to crush her rivals and get what she wanted. It's what her parents and her former manager had taught her. But that strategy had never really worked. She thought of all the times she'd tried to outshine Hannah Montana...and failed miserably.

_Is this karma?_ she wondered._ Is this payback for all the mean things I've done in the past? I'm not allowed to be happy now because I used to be a first-class bitc--_

The singer's thoughts were cut off when the elevator doors opened and she saw Zack in the hallway.

"Hey," he called out to her. "I've been looking for you." He approached her as she exited the elevator. "We need to talk."

Mikayla didn't know what was on his mind, and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to care at the moment. "Not now."

But Zack was determined to have his say. "Look, this is important. I know about you and Cody."

"What do you know?" She noted that his expression did not seem congratulatory. In fact he looked more than a little upset, which made Mikayla feel defensive. "And it's none of your business anyway. What? You don't approve?"

"No," he answered bluntly. "As a matter of fact I don't." But before he could continue, Mikayla slapped him in the face. "Hey," he complained as he held up a hand to his now sore cheek. "Not cool."

"Well, you deserve it," the singer shot back. "This is all your fault!"

"What?"

"You should be happy," she went on loudly, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm going to lose Cody now." She appeared as if she had more to say, but she couldn't quite get the words out of her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Whoa, hold on," Zack said gently. He was utterly confused but he could tell that Mikayla was on the verge of a breakdown. Concern for her overcame his other feelings for the moment, including his anger at being slapped. "What do you mean? Why are you losing Cody?"

Slowly and painfully, Mikayla informed Zack of her conversation with London. He was surprised, and more than a little confused by the new information.

"Let me get this straight," he said with noticeable exasperation. "London and I almost kiss...and that makes her fall for Cody? What's that all about?"

Seeing how annoyed he was, Mikayla stopped thinking about her own feelings for a moment and tried to comfort Zack. "She did say you were attractive. And totally date-able."

"But she wants Cody, not me," he said, a bit surprised by the amount of jealously he was feeling.

"She's closer to him than you," Mikayla replied. "They spend a lot of time together, working on her web show and stuff." She sighed. "I could tell there was some chemistry between them from the moment I met them. That's why I know I'll lose Cody. Now that London is interested in him, there's no way I can win."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Zack began. He was ready to offer more words of encouragement to her, but then realized that would be counter-productive. He wanted to woo Mikayla away from Cody after all. It's just that this new development with London had thrown him for a loop. "I mean...maybe there's someone better for you than Cody."

As upset as she was, Mikayla was still able to notice the look in Zack's eyes as he spoke those words. He was clearly interested in her. That fact gave her a momentary feeling of happiness, but it was followed by more misery.

"Zack, I think you're great," she said. "And I'd be lying if I said I've never thought about you and I...you know. But, I...I want Cody. I need him." She looked down to the floor. "Oh, what's the use? I've already lost him. I'm losing everything...again."

The hopelessness in the singer's voice was heartbreaking. So much so that it only took Zack a moment to make a decision. He put his arms around Mikayla and spoke in a comforting tone. "The heck you are. You're losing nothing."

"What? But London--" Mikayla began.

"I'll deal with London," he said, cutting her off. "Things will be fine."

"But I thought you didn't approve of me and Cody?"

"Because I wanted you for myself," he admitted. "But...if you really care about someone, you have to do what makes them happy. And Cody makes you happy."

Mikayla looked at Zack and started to cry. But for once here tears were not from sadness. "I don't know what to say. You're...the greatest guy ever."

"You say that because it's true," he replied with a smirk, causing Mikayla to actually laugh through her tears.

"I'm so sorry I hit you," she said. "That was horrible of me."

"You weren't thinking straight," he responded. "But don't go around smacking people like that in the future. You could get in serious trouble."

Feeling absolutely mortified that she had acted so immaturely, Mikayla swore she'd never lose control like that again.

* * *

After taking his leave of Mikayla, Zack headed back to his suite. Now that he'd promised the singer that everything was going to be alright, he needed to figure out how he was going to make good on that promise. He figured the first thing he could do was talk to his brother. He'd let Cody know that he was willing to accept his relationship with Mikayla.

_But then what do I do about London?_ he wondered. Zack was still bothered by the fact that the heiress was now attracted to Cody. Actually, he was mostly bothered about why she was attracted to Cody.

_If she should be attracted to anyone, it should be me,_ he thought. _What is wrong with the world anyway? Mikayla wants Cody, London wants Cody. Doesn't anyone realize I'm supposed to be the babe magnet? _

Zack took the stairs up to his floor, as he was only one flight down. As he approached his suite he heard the elevator doors open down the hall, and turned to see London emerge.

"Hi," the heiress called out as she approached Zack. "I came to talk to Cody. Is he home?"

Zack assumed that his brother was home, but he could also guess what London wanted to talk to him about. "Um...probably not," he answered. "What do you want to talk to him about anyway?"

The heiress blushed slightly and got a coy look in her eyes. "Oh...something. It's sort of personal." She flashed an enthusiastic smile. "Let me in so I can check to see if he's home or not."

"That's not a good idea," Zack answered. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something important."

London's expression started to show the first traces of impatience. "Oh? Okay. Just let me check to see if Cody is in first."

"No, this is really important," Zack said as he blocked her path to the door.

Unfortunately, London Tipton was used to getting what she wanted. And whenever someone tried to deny her, her instinctive response was to push harder. "My talking to Cody is more important. Now get out of my way."

"Not going to happen," Zack countered.

London put her hands on Zack and tried to push him aside, but he braced himself and stood his ground. The two soon found themselves in an awkward sort of wrestling match, which would have appeared quite comical to any onlookers. But alas, they were alone in the hallway and nobody was there to witness their struggle.

"Why won't you let me see Cody?" London protested as she continued pushing against Zack. "You're being very rude!" Her complaints continued and grew louder, causing Zack to worry that Cody or his mother might hear and open the door.

"Will you please be quiet and listen to me?" he pleaded.

"No!" London shot back. She then took in a deep breath and appeared as if she was about to let out one very loud yell. Zack knew he had to prevent that from happening, but both his hands were occupied at the moment, as he and the heiress continued grappling with each other.

So without really thinking about it, right before London was able to let out her yell, Zack leaned forward and covered her mouth with his own.

The next thing they knew, they were kissing. A kiss that continued after both of them had stopped struggling.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Okay, the past few weeks have not been great for me, so I haven't been able to update. Hopefully it won't take so long for me to add a new chapter. Thanks as always to everyone who leaves reviews. I found it interesting, and oddly satisfying, that a number of self-confessed London/Cody fans were actually upset when London revealed an attraction to Cody in the last chapter. I'm glad that Mikayla is being embraced as a sympathetic character and a viable romantic option. And no, I still haven't decided yet who will end up with who in the end - though I am leaning towards a certain outcome at the moment. Further feedback and suggestions are welcome. (And the more comments I get, the more it encourages me to write.) _


	13. Chapter 13

The kiss went on for a long time.

A very long time, actually.

And when it finally ended, both Zack and London were literally speechless. Neither teen had been prepared for the unexpected kiss, and certainly they hadn't been prepared for just how amazing the kiss had felt.

Finally, London found her voice. "Wow," she said very softly, before shaking her head and continuing in a firmer tone. "I mean, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry," Zack said, trying to gather his thoughts. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" London questioned.

"Well, I'm sort of not sorry because that was something," he replied. "You're a great kisser."

"So are you," the heiress said, and then again shook her head. "But that's not the point. You can't just grab me and kiss me like that." As she spoke those words, an image appeared in London's mind. She pictured Zack, dressed like the hero of a romance novel, marching towards her and boldly taking her in his arms. Her imaginative scenario ended with them kissing passionately as orchestral music swelled in the background.

Seeing that London had gone quiet (and having no idea what she was imagining), Zack nervously cleared his throat. "Maybe we should go somewhere and talk."

That suggestion brought the heiress back to reality. "Right." She looked to Zack's door, and then remembered how this entire incident had started in the first place. "Wait a second," she said. "You wanted to keep me out of your suite." She paused. "I wanted to see Cody." Those last words felt somewhat odd to say now. London's feelings were in a huge jumble due to the kiss with Zack.

"I know...and I'll explain everything," the young man replied, his owns feelings a bit jumbled a well. "But not here."

"Okay. We'll go up to my place then." After she said that, London realized that her words might be open to misinterpretation. "To talk. We'll go to my place to talk."

"Right," Zack said. "Just to talk. That's what I thought you meant."

"Good. Because if you try any funny stuff I'll have security throw you out of the hotel." She paused and then lowered her voice for effect. "I can do that, you know. I'm rich and powerful."

"Very rich. Very powerful," Zack agreed as he walked with her to the elevator. "Very hot." He felt embarrassed when he blurted that last part out and stared down at his feet.

As a result, he didn't see London's cheeks redden or notice the corners of her mouth turn up in a slight smile.

* * *

A short while later in the Tipton penthouse, after Zack had explained a few things, London's emotions were still in a confused whirl. Though now at least she understood why Zack hadn't wanted her to see his brother.

"Mikayla and Cody," she said. "Now I know why she left so quickly before when she found out I was interested in him. She should have told me."

"Yeah, but how would you have felt if it had been the other way around?" Zack asked. "If she'd told you she had feelings for a guy that you'd just fallen for?"

"That would've been...awkward." The heiress sighed.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Zack's expression was more than a little troubled as he waited for her response.

"Normally, I'm not worried about a little competition," London said. "But Mikayla and I have become really good friends. And if she's as crazy about Cody as you say--"

"She is," Zack interjected.

The heiress nodded. "Then I'm not going complicate things for her." She was quiet for a moment and Zack thought he could detect a look of regret in her eyes. The look was still there even as she forced a laugh. "I mean, come on. Me and Cody? What was I thinking?" She followed up her question with more forced laughter.

Zack didn't join in with the laughing. "Not trying to offend you here, but I was wondering the same thing." He gave her a meaningful look. "Is it true that you started thinking about dating Cody...because of me?"

Seeing the serious expression on his face, London quickly ceased her false laughter. "Yes. That's true."

"Don't you think that's a little messed up?" he asked. "If I was the guy that you...had a moment with, why didn't you think about dating me?"

"I did think about dating you. I just decided against it."

"Why?"

It was a fair question. And it turned out that London had some fair answers.

"Well, for one thing, you and I had our 'moment' while we were talking about how you were interested in Mikayla. Not really a good sign when a guy is into another girl."

Zack couldn't really argue with that, but he was surprised when London expanded on that point.

"And it's not just Mikayla. You've always been..." She hesitated as she tried to find the right words. "You're a good friend, Zack. I like you a lot. But...you've never seemed to be a one-woman kind of guy."

Zack's eyes widened as he heard this. "So you wouldn't want to date me...because you don't think you could trust me?"

London frowned. "I wouldn't put it that way."

"But that's what you think?" he asked.

Seeing that she'd hurt his feelings, London looked downwards as she answered quietly. "Yes."

"Oh of all the--" Zack was too upset to finish his sentence. He turned from London and began storming towards the door, but then stopped and turned back. "I'm not that type of guy. I would never cheat. Not if we're talking about a real relationship."

The heiress looked at him questioningly. "A real relationship?"

"When people decide they're only going to date each other," he explained. "Look, I'll admit I go out with a lot of girls. But those dates are just about having fun. If a girl that I really liked wanted to be in an exclusive relationship, then I'd do it. I wouldn't see any other girls behind her back."

"Have you ever been in an exclusive relationship?" London asked curiously.

Zack shook his head. "A couple of girls have asked me, but I said no. And it wasn't because I'm scared to be in a relationship, it's just that if I'm going to be exclusive with someone...it has to be the right girl."

The heiress considered this. She could tell from Zack's manner and tone that he was being sincere. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I believe you when you say you wouldn't cheat."

"You're not just saying that?" he asked.

"No," she said firmly. "I really believe you."

Satisfied that he'd made his point, Zack smiled as he sat down on London's couch. "Good."

The two teens were then silent. Both of them knew they had more to talk about, but neither knew where to start.

"So," London finally said. "Since you'll be exclusive for the right girl, have you thought about what the right girl for you will be like?"

Yes," he answered. "As a matter of fact I have."

"Tell me about her. Describe the right girl for you."

"Okay. Well, it goes without saying that she's hot."

"Of course."

"And I don't just mean regular hot," he continued with a grin. "I'm talking major-league, five-alarm fire hotness."

"So, really gorgeous," London concluded.

"Right, but that's more than just looks," Zack went on. "She's got to have the attitude to match. I like a girl that's confident and fun-loving. Someone that's exciting." He paused as he contemplated the qualities he found attractive in women. "A girl that isn't afraid to get all...girly. Don't get me wrong, I've been attracted to more than a few tomboys, but I really like a girl who knows how to be all...feminine." He shook his head. "I don't know if I'm explaining it right."

"I think I understand," London replied. "Tell me, do you have any specifics in mind for your dream girl? Is she tall or short? Blonde? Brunette?"

"I'm not specific in that way," he answered. "Wouldn't want to limit myself." He laughed. "It would be just my luck to say I'd only want a blonde, and then the next day meet the most stunning brunette alive."

"What about age? Does that matter to you?"

"To tell the truth, I've often pictured my dream girl as a few years older than me," Zack admitted.

The heiress smiled. It seemed to her that the ideal woman that Zack was describing was an awful lot like London herself. But after thinking over his response to the question about age, her smile faded.

"Zack, is your dream girl named…Maddie?"

The grin on his face was replaced by a serious expression. "I used to think so. Let's face it, we both know I've been crazy about Maddie for years. But now, a few things have changed."

Zack went on to explain how he'd felt like he'd had his best chance ever at starting a relationship with Maddie a few months ago. After she'd spent time with him during her vacation on the _S.S. Tipton, _Maddie had become far more receptive to his flirting. Yet somehow, even after a few very enjoyable sessions of making out, they'd never been able to make the transition from friendship to more. They'd had a long talk about it right before Maddie had gone off to Africa to do her volunteer work. And while that conversation hadn't closed the door completely on future possibilities, it had made Zack consider that perhaps he and Maddie weren't destined to be together.

"So Maddie's always going to have a special place in my heart," he concluded. "But the right girl for me?" He shrugged.

While London considered all that she'd just heard, Zack decided it was his turn to get some answers.

"Now tell me about the kind of guy you want." He flashed her a smile. "Fair's fair."

The heiress tried to think for a moment, and then she frowned. She knew what she found attractive in a guy, but she'd never spent much time thinking about how to describe what she liked in words. She began to pout. "This is hard."

"Do you know how adorable you are when you pout?" Zack asked.

"Very adorable," she answered brightly. "Plus it's a great way to get what I want."

Zack laughed. "And what is it you want now?"

Her pout morphed into a sly smile, and Zack noticed that she was starting to lean towards him. He responded in kind. "Come on, tell me what you want."

"I think I want you to kiss me again."

Zack was more than happy to comply, and while their earlier, unexpected kiss had been amazing, this kiss was different.

It was a million times better.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks for the last batch of reviews. Please give more. :-) _


	14. Chapter 14

Cody was mulling over what approach he should take the next time he talked to Zack. He wanted all the conflict over Mikayla settled. Of course, he was unaware of current developments regarding his brother. If he had known all that had happened in the short time since Zack had left their suite, perhaps his mind would have been more at ease.

In any case, Cody continued to sit and ponder until his mother came in carrying bags of groceries. Being a dutiful son, he got up to help her put them away. But while she appreciated the help, it didn't take long for Carey to notice that Cody had something on his mind.

"Is something wrong honey?" she asked as they finished with the groceries.

"Zack and I had a little problem earlier," he admitted. "I'm hoping we can move past it soon."

"Can I help?"

Cody shook his head. "We need to work this out ourselves."

"Can you tell me what it's about?" Carey's tone was supportive, but also had that subtle note in it which indicated she wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer.

"Remember when I told you that Zack and I were both going to hold off on trying to date Mikayla?"

Carey nodded, though she could guess what direction this conversation was going to take.

"Mikayla had other ideas. She, uh...let me know that she...likes me." Cody made an effort to keep any nervousness out of his voice. He certainly wasn't going to give his mother any details about just how Mikayla had expressed her affections. "So we're sort of a couple now."

Carey frowned. She had grown extremely fond of Mikayla and wouldn't have minded either of her sons dating the girl under ordinary circumstances. But she was worried about any conflict that could affect their current situation.

"You do know this is a horrible time for any drama to start," she told Cody. "Mikayla needs to begin working soon. Mr. Moseby and I were just talking about this the other day. When she moved into the hotel neither of us realized it would take so long for her to get ready to start."

Cody's face went ashen. "He can't hold that against her. She's had a lot to deal with."

"He's not upset with her," Carey reassured him. "He's actually very concerned about her. The only reason he brought up when she's going to start work is because he's anxious to adjust the lounge show schedules. We're still trying to decide what would be the best number of shows for me to do each week. But we can't figure that out for sure until we see how Mikayla does in the lounge."

The topic of his mother's act reminded Cody of something he'd wanted to discuss with her for some time. "You know, your performances lately have been amazing."

"Thank you honey."

"I'm not just saying that. You've never been better." He paused. "Have you wondered why that is?"

Carey found this an odd question. As conversation continued, she was stunned when Cody finally told her what he thought was responsible for the changes in her performances.

"Wait a second, you think that my shows improved because you and your brother weren't here?"

"All the rave reviews seemed to start while Zack and I were gone," he replied. "It's a logical conclusion."

Carey let this idea drift through her mind as she thought back to what things had been like for her when the boys had gone off for their semester at sea. After awhile she let out a slightly surprised laugh. "You know what? You're right. But not in the way you think."

Cody gave his mother a puzzled look.

"Come here," she said as she patted a spot on the sofa next to her. When Cody sat down, she explained what things had been like for her living alone at the hotel. She told him how badly the loneliness had hit her at first. How there had been times that she'd just sat alone on the couch and wept, wishing that her sons would suddenly walk through the door. But she also told him about the pride she'd feel when she'd get one of Cody's regular emails and read about how well he was doing.

"And I don't mean just in school," she clarified. "You always get good grades, but now you were doing more than just going to classes. You were traveling the world, living on your own, and working onboard the ship too. And your brother was doing all that too...except for the good grades. The point is, you were both taking care of yourselves."

"Well, we're not kids anymore," Cody responded. "We're men."

Carey smiled. She wasn't ready to agree that her boys were adults yet, but she did know that they had matured in many ways. "There's a funny thing about being a parent. For years your entire life revolves around taking care of these needy and annoying little people who take up so much of your time and attention that you wonder how they're ever going to be able to do anything without you."

"Gee, thanks," Cody said in a deadpan tone.

Ignoring his sarcasm, Carey went on. "And then the time comes when you see your kids living on their own and doing just fine, and you realize that you've done good at the most important job you'll ever have in your life." She reached over and rested her arms on Cody's shoulders. "The feeling you get when you realize that...it's unbelievable."

Cody looked at his mother's expression. There was so much happiness in her eyes that he had to smile back at her.

"When I got over missing you guys and just thought about how proud I was of you, I felt so wonderful that it affected everything I did, including my singing. So, yes...technically the reason my act improved was because you and Zack were gone. But not because I was happy you weren't here. I was happy because I'm the mother of the two greatest boys anyone could ever have."

"So we weren't holding you back before we left?" Cody asked.

Carey shook her head. "You've never held me back. You and Zack are my life."

Cody leaned into his mother and hugged her. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, honey."

"And I love both you guys," an unexpected voice called out from the kitchen area.

Both Carey and Cody jumped slightly and turned to see Zack standing there. They'd been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't heard him come home.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Zack said. "But I when came in I heard Mom talking about being proud of us and stuff. And...oh...to heck with it." Slightly embarrassed about being so emotional, Zack just went to the couch and drew his family into a group hug.

After all three had enjoyed their moment of bonding, Carey spoke up when she remembered how her conversation with Cody had begun.

"Now, since everyone's feeling so good, do you two think you can work out this problem you have?" she asked.

Zack wasn't sure what she was talking about. "What problem?"

"The problem you have with Mikayla and me," Cody said.

"Oh, that." Zack surprised both his family members by patting his brother on the shoulder and giving him a friendly grin. "Water under the bridge. No problem at all."

"Really?" Cody asked in disbelief. "You were so angry before."

"That was before I talked to Mikayla," the elder twin replied. "You know, she's really into you." He smirked before adding, "No accounting for taste."

Wanting to be sure that Zack wasn't up to something, Cody studied his brother's expression closely. "Seriously, you're cool with this?"

"Hey, I was ticked off before, but Mikayla made her choice. And if she's happy and my own brother is happy...then why shouldn't I be happy for both of you?" He paused and his grin became just a bit devilish. "Besides, I have some exciting new opportunities in the romance department."

A relieved smile spread across Cody's face. He could sense that Zack was being sincere. "This is great!"

Carey also felt a sense of relief. "I'm so glad you guys could resolve this. And Zack, you're being very mature. I'm proud of you."

"What can I say? I'm a great guy," he replied with a laugh. He was happy to get the praise, though in this particular instance it wasn't that hard for him to act maturely. His family didn't know yet about what was developing between London and himself, but now wasn't the time to talk about that. Now was the time to simply enjoy a heartwarming family moment.

And so they did.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Well, it seems that our four young heroes may be getting some stability in their romantic lives for the moment. But how are things going to work out for Mikayla and her new job? Well, you know how things are at the Tipton - interesting things happen. Oh...and please review._


	15. Chapter 15

For the first time in a long while, Mikayla felt like everything was going to work out.

All of Carey's teachings had bolstered the young singer's confidence, and she enjoyed practicing the songs that she'd picked out of her mentor's music collection.

More importantly though, her fears about losing Cody to London were a thing of the past. Once Zack had told the heiress about Mikayla's feelings for Cody, London had been quick to reassure the singer that there was no reason to worry. The two girls had sat down and had a long discussion on the matter. After it was over, Mikayla felt more secure about her budding relationship with Cody, but she also felt closer than ever to London. True friendship was still a new experience to Mikayla, but as far as she was concerned, the Tipton girl was the greatest BFF anyone could have.

And Zack was a great friend too.

So Mikayla was excited when they told her about what was developing between them. And she felt honored too.

Because she was the only one they told.

* * *

Zack was relaxing with London out on her penthouse balcony and he couldn't have been in a better mood. Not only was he enjoying the company, he was also pleased with the perks. If he got hungry, anything from a candy bar to a gourmet meal would be brought to him on a silver tray within moments. If he were thirsty, almost any beverage imaginable would appear just as quickly. All it took was for London to pick up her phone.

It was funny in a way. Naturally Zack had always been aware of just how wealthy the heiress was. But after years of living in the same building and being friends, he had become so accustomed to her lifestyle and habits that he never thought much about it. But over the past few days as he and London had spent time together, he'd started to get a better understanding of just how much luxury that the heiress was used to.

It was exactly the kind of life he'd always wanted for himself.

Then again, while the perks may have been nice, they were still just perks. The main attraction was London herself. Sometimes Zack would glance towards her, take a moment to appreciate her considerable hotness, and then check to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Nope, wide awake.

_Life is good, _he thought.

Good...but not perfect.

"Do you think anyone has noticed yet?" London asked out of the blue.

"Noticed what?" he replied. He could see that she was thinking hard about something. Her expression wasn't as bright and bouncy as it usually was.

"All the time we're spending together."

"Nah," he answered. "Nobody will think about it. They'll just figure we're two friends hanging out." He paused. "Besides, if anyone gets suspicious I can come up with an excuse."

London nodded and smiled. "Okay. Good." Then her smile faded. "Zack...why do we need an excuse?"

Zack's own expression became serious. "Why are you asking me? It was your idea to keep this a secret for now."

"It wasn't really my idea. I mean...I didn't plan it out. When I told Mikayla about us I asked her to keep it a secret, and I'm not even sure why. And then you seemed to like the idea."

"It wasn't that I liked it," Zack responded. "I just figured you had your reasons." His thoughts turned back over the events of the last few days. He was surprised when he realized that he'd never questioned the need for secrecy at all. "Okay, we should talk this out."

And so they did. In doing so, they began to see the reasons for their actions. While their newfound feelings for each other were very strong, both teens were still getting over the surprise of the change in their relationship. And if it was a bit of a shock to them, then they couldn't even guess how their loved ones would react.

"You know, I think we both just knew that this thing between us has to be handled carefully," Zack concluded. "And that's good." He smiled as he looked into London's eyes. "Because I don't want anything to screw this up."

The heiress felt her heart flutter as she saw the expression on Zack's face. It was a familiar look, an endearing mixture of bravado and sweetness that she'd never seen from anyone but Zack.

And she really liked it.

"We'll tell everyone about us soon," she said. "But not just yet. Besides keeping things secret is kind of exciting." She batted her eyes at him and softened her tone of voice. "And romantic."

Zack moved next to London and pulled her into an embrace. "Very romantic. Like nobody else in the world has any idea what's going on with us." He kissed her, and then flashed a wicked grin. Nobody knows I just did that." He kissed her again, holding it longer. "Or this." He began to nibble on her ear, pausing just long enough to whisper, "Or this."

London let out little gasps of delight as Zack moved his mouth from her ear to her neck. She reached up with one hand and entwined her fingers in his blonde locks. But while she wanted to urge him to do more, she managed to maintain some self-control.

"That feels so good," she said. "But you need to ease up. You're going to give me a hickey."

Zack's response was a suggestive chuckle. "Maybe I want to mark you as my woman." He then continued kissing her neck.

London was excited by his aggressive attentions, and gave an appreciative moan of pleasure. "Oh Zack!" But then she yanked his head back by the hair and changed her tone of voice. "Seriously, you leave a mark and I'll break your arm," she said matter-of-factly.

Momentarily surprised by the strength of her grip, Zack paused before responding. "I believe you. And is it strange that I find you incredibly hot when you're threatening me with bodily harm?"

London gave the question a brief moment of thought. "Yeah, pretty strange. But I can live with it."

They both laughed and then Zack resumed kissing London's neck...but much more gently.

* * *

The next afternoon, London (with no visible marks on her neck) joined Zack, Cody and a few others in the in hotel lounge for a private performance. Mikayla was going to try out a few songs before a small audience of friends. Besides London and the Martin family, Mr. Moseby, Esteban, and Arwin were also present. All of them were planning to show a lot of support for Mikayla and be generous with their applause, but that fact didn't prevent a few butterflies from finding their way to the singer's stomach.

"Remember, these are all your friends," Carey told her backstage. "This is just an informal little practice. Nothing to worry about." She smiled warmly at Mikayla. "I know you can do this."

Still nervous, but determined to justify Carey's belief in her, Mikayla nodded and got ready to start.

There was no formal introduction. When the time came, Mikayla just walked to the center of the stage and waited for the music to start. The first song was one that had been a favorite of Carey's back when she was in high school. A tune from one of Cyndi Lauper's lesser-known albums, it was titled _I Don't Want to be Your Friend_.

Mikayla started out singing slowly, and quite beautifully. The song told the story of a woman who'd had her heart broken, and now had to deal with her ex-boyfriend trying to come back into her life. But right before the first chorus, Mikayla's performance went from good...to spectacular.

_I'll get by just fine_

_So if you're going, then darling..._

_Goodbye_

_Goodbye_

But before singing the next line, Mikayla smirked and added in a sarcastic tone "Oh, come on and leave already! And..."

_Don't call me... _

_in the middle of the night no more_

_Don't expect me to be there_

_Don't tell me..._

_it'll be the way it was before_

Watching with the rest of the small crowd, Carey was ecstatic with what she was seeing. Mikayla wasn't just singing, she was performing. She was projecting her own personality from the stage in a way she never had before, and truly connecting with the audience. And in the process she was even reinterpreting the song she was singing. Carey had always found it a beautiful, but sad song...about a woman pleading for relief from the man who'd hurt her. But Mikayla's performance was defiant, and even empowering...where the woman was telling the man off. The lyrics were exactly the same, the difference was entirely in the attitude.

And onstage, Mikayla had attitude to spare.

_And I don't wanna be your friend_

She smiled as she sang the last line of the song. A smile with just a bit of a sneer to it. It was the perfect way to end the song as she'd performed it. At least, that's what her audience seemed to think, because their applause was deafening. And it wasn't because they were trying to be nice to her. They'd absolutely loved what they'd seen and heard from her so far.

Mikayla could sense the sincerity of the applause. Her confidence shot through the roof as she launched into her next number.

* * *

When her last song was done, a race broke out to see who could get to the stage first to give Mikayla a hug.

Cody won. So there were a few kisses as well as the hug.

After that, it seemed as if everyone was talking at once. Much was said about how great the performance had been. There were also many comments about how Mikayla should feel ready to start working in the lounge immediately. Then some mention was made of how Limburger cheese could be used as an alternative fuel source...which was very odd...but since it was Arwin that brought that topic up, everyone else took it in stride. They were all used to how his mind worked.

After everyone had an opportunity to pay their compliments to Mikayla, Mr. Moseby took her aside.

"I'd like to discuss something with you of some importance," he said. "Would you join me in my office?"

Curious as to what he wanted to talk about, Mikayla nodded and followed the hotel manager.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks a ton for all the comments since the last chapter. I had a horrible week and a half, and some of the positive reviews and messages from you guys really cheered me up. So give more. :) _

_(But feel free to give criticism about stuff you don't like as well. I want to know if there's anything in the story that's not working for you guys.) _

_Lyrics to the song __**I Don't Want to be Your Friend **__are by D. Warren._


	16. Chapter 16

Sitting in Mr. Moseby's office, Mikayla began to feel anxious. It wasn't that the hotel manager was being unfriendly to her. In fact, he couldn't have been more pleasant. She just had a feeling that whatever he wanted to talk to her about was serious.

"I hope you don't think I'm prying too much into your personal life," he said. "But from talking to Carey and London, I understand that you haven't attended regular school for some time."

"Yes, I had private teachers," she answered.

"But since you became independent of your parents and then were let go by your record label..."

"I ran out of money to pay for them," Mikayla finished. "To tell the truth, with all the stuff I was worried about, school wasn't the number one thing on my mind."

"Understandable," Moseby replied. "But I trust that you do realize the importance of a proper education. I thought we might talk about what your plans are when the summer is over."

"Um...you mean school?" Mikayla asked even as she began to imagine what going back to a regular school would be like. "I don't know. The idea is a little scary."

"I'm sure you'd be able to handle it," he said. "But I can understand your nervousness. As it happens, I know an excellent teacher who could start working with you on a trial basis. That way you can make sure you're at the proper grade level when school resumes this fall. Then, you could begin normal classes or continue with your private instruction, whichever you're more comfortable with."

"How much would this teacher cost?" Mikayla asked.

"Pish posh," Moseby said dismissively. "Consider it a job benefit. The hotel budget can easily absorb the expense."

Since she'd moved into the Tipton, Mikayla had been astounded many times at the generosity all her new friends had shown her. She still couldn't get used to it.

"You've done so much for me already," she began.

"So this one thing more hardly makes a difference," Moseby countered with a confident smile. "Trust me. Your new teacher will do an excellent job. And quite frankly, you wouldn't be the only one to benefit from this situation."

Mikayla noted that the hotel manager seemed quite eager for her to go along with his idea. So, she did. Then their discussion turned to when Mikayla would officially debut her act in the hotel lounge. Moseby told her that he'd already made some tentative plans with Carey. The senior lounge singer would be going over those plans with Mikayla soon.

After the teen had left his office, Moseby picked up his phone and hit the first number on his speed dial list. His smile grew wider when he heard the person on the other end of the line pick up.

"Miss T, this is Mr. M," he said. "You know how we've talked about how nice it would be if you found a job here in Boston? Well, how soon can you pack?"

* * *

The next night at Carey's show, London and Mikayla were in the audience. Carey took a break between songs to introduce the 'special celebrities' in the crowd. Then she asked Mikayla to come up on stage and do a number with her. To the audience it looked like a spontaneous moment, but actually it had all been planned out. The duet went perfectly, and as Mikayla went back to her seat Carey commented about how nice it would be if Mikayla could appear in the lounge more often. That was London's cue.

"That is a great idea," the heiress announced loudly, and over-acting just a bit too much...but fortunately the audience had no reason to suspect her. "Mikayla, you can do some shows here at the Tipton, can't you?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Carey added from the stage. "Come on people, let's hear it for Mikayla!"

The crowd didn't need much urging to start applauding the idea. And soon the young singer 'graciously agreed' to set up some 'special performances' starting next week.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

A day later, Zack and Cody were at their favorite park near the hotel. The brothers had spent the afternoon playing basketball against one another, and both were pretty winded. Though Zack had won, as usual, the victory had not been easy. Ever since Cody had started practicing yoga, his strength and overall fitness had improved so much that he no longer took a backseat physically to his twin. In the end, it was only Zack's experience that had given him the edge.

But regardless of the game's result, the important thing was that the brothers were enjoying doing things together once more. With their conflict over Mikayla resolved, there was no longer any tension between them. In fact, they were both looking forward to joining Mikayla and London at big club opening that weekend.

"I hear there are going to be a lot of celebrities there," Cody commented. "Especially lots of models and actresses."

"Sounds nice," Zack said. "But does Mikayla know you're excited about all these famous babes?"

Cody shook his head. "I'm not interested in any other women. I just mentioned it because I thought you'd be excited."

"Oh...yeah," Zack said with little enthusiasm. "Sure,"

Cody studied his brother closely. "You've been a little different lately. Are you okay?"

"What do you mean? Different how?"

"I haven't seen you talk to any girls for almost a week," Cody pointed out. "That's a long time for you."

"That's crazy. I've been talking to girls," Zack countered. "I talked to that girl over by the soda machine right before our game."

"You asked her if she had change for a five," Cody said.

"That was talking."

"Cody rolled his eyes. "I mean, you haven't been hitting on any girls. And that makes me wonder if you might still be a little upset about Mikayla and me."

"Oh...no. No way," Zack replied. "I'm happy for you guys. Seriously."

"Well, I'm glad about that. But there is something different going on with you."

Seeing that his twin wasn't going to let the matter drop, Zack decided to be honest. "The truth is, I have been seeing this girl." He paused. "And...it's sort of a big deal."

Cody's eyes widened. He'd very rarely heard his brother sound so serious about a girl. "A big deal?"

"A very big deal," Zack repeated. A smile came to his face as he thought about London.

"That's great," Cody said. "When do I get to meet this girl? Hey, maybe she could come with us this weekend. I'm sure London could get another guest into the club."

"Well, actually..." Zack began, but a loud voice captured his attention.

"Dude, she is so hot!" The voice belonged to a large, well-muscled teen who was talking to a slightly shorter but even more muscular guy. The two were taking turns looking at a magazine. Zack and Cody didn't know the two jocks, but did recall seeing them around their old school. The talkative strangers continued their loud conversation as they settled in a spot close to where Cody and Zack were sitting.

"Yeah, Mikayla is fine," the shorter guy said. "You know I saw her going into the Tipton last week."

"Wish I'd been there," the taller jock replied. "I'd rock her world."

Realizing who the jocks were talking about, Cody frowned slightly. He knew that his girlfriend was famous, and it was natural that she'd have many admirers. But he didn't like the tone of the two strangers.

"Don't let it bug you," Zack whispered to his twin. "These guys don't even know Mikayla."

"They're being disrespectful."

"Yeah. And if they weren't so big, I'd go and tell them to shut up," Zack went on. "But come on...they're just two jerks."

Cody knew his brother was right. Getting into a fight with the strangers would be pointless. But as he and Zack were about to leave, the two jocks continued their conversation.

"You know who's even finer than Mikayla," the short one said. "London Tipton."

"Aw yeah," the tall one replied. "And you know she's gotta be easy."

That was too much for Cody. He wasn't going to stand by and let anyone insult his girl and one of his closest friends as well. He started to tell Zack he was going to take action.

But he never got the chance...as Zack had already stepped over to the two jocks and was telling them, in no uncertain terms, to watch their mouths.

* * *

Sometime later, the Martin twins were quite a sight as they entered the hotel lobby. Their clothes were torn and smeared with dirt and grass stains. They were also sporting a few bruises and Zack had a black eye, but neither of them was really hurt. The fight with the two jocks hadn't lasted long before a passing policeman had come upon the scene and everyone had taken off running. All the combatants had made a clean getaway, so there would be no legal ramifications for the twins to worry about later.

But they did have to deal with the fact that their mother was in the lobby when they entered.

"What happened?" she exclaimed as she ran to them.

Soon the boys were surrounded by a crowd that included Mr. Moseby, Mikayla and many of their friends from the hotel staff. Cody did most of the talking as Carey insisted on getting the whole story on what had happened.

"Cody," Mikayla said when she heard his story. "You could have been hurt. I don't care what some jerks are saying about me. How do you think I'd feel if something had happened to you?"

"Listen to her," Carey said. In truth she was angry about what the strangers had said about Mikayla and London, but she still felt that was no reason for her sons to put themselves in danger. "You can't ever do something stupid like that again!"

Seeing as how most of the focus was on Cody, Zack felt he should try and take some of the heat off his brother. "Look, it was my fault," he said. "I'm the one that threw the first punch."

"Yes," Carey said as she frowned at him. "And you should've known better. Why would you do something like that?"

Before Zack could answer, a new presence barged into the group.

"One side people," London's voice called out. "Out of the way!"

A moment later, the heiress had made her way into the center of the crowd, she saw the twins and gasped.

"Oh Zack!" she said in near panic as she grabbed him. "Are you alright? I heard you were in a fight. Please tell me you're alright." Her eyes started to tear up as she kissed the side of his face.

Carey and almost everyone else who saw the scene were struck speechless. Cody's mind flashed back to how the fight had started, and to the conversation he and Zack had been having prior to it, and all the pieces fell into place. _Zack...and London?_ he thought in shock.

Mikayla could only look around at the surprised expressions everyone else wore. She cleared her throat. "Um...yeah," she said. "Zack and London are dating." She paused, unsure of what else to say. Finally she added, "Surprise."

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks for reading. Please review. _


	17. Chapter 17

It hadn't been the best way for anyone to find out about Zack and London, so it was understandable that those closest to them didn't immediately offer their congratulations.

In fact, both Carey and Mr. Moseby seemed more than a little upset at first. They took Zack and London out of the lobby and into Moseby's office. The rest of the crowd that had gathered went on their way, except for Cody and Mikayla.

"You knew about those two?" he said. "How? When did this happen?"

"Just after you and I got together," she answered.

Cody now realized why it Zack had been able to so easily get over his attraction to Mikayla. "I can't believe this."

"You don't seem happy about it," she observed. "What's the problem? They're both great people. I'm glad they're together."

"You haven't known them as long as I have," Cody replied. "This is weird."

"What's weird about it?" she asked. "Are they or are they not great people?"

"Yes...of course," he answered.

"Then why is it weird for them to be together?"

Cody found he couldn't come up with an answer. "I guess it's just such a surprise. I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around it."

"Well, please try," Mikayla said. "Because they're two of the greatest friends I have and I want them to be happy." She put her arms around Cody. "The way I am with you."

Looking into his girlfriend's beautiful eyes, Cody found it very hard to keep his mind on Zack and London. "Nobody could be as happy as you make me," he whispered to Mikayla before kissing her gently.

* * *

Meanwhile in Mr. Moseby's office, Carey and the hotel manager were managing to get over their own surprise at the news. Both adults had shared the same initial reaction to the news. A negative reaction. How could Zack and London date each other?

But as the matter was discussed, both of them found that they couldn't come up with a specific, concrete reason why the two shouldn't be a couple. Carey did have a vague feeling of unease about her son dating a girl who was a little older. But then again, she'd known London for a long time. The Tipton heiress was almost like family to her.

Surprisingly, it was Moseby who proved more accepting. He felt the whole relationship was a bad idea at first thought, but a few moments of observing the teens in his office were all it took to bring him around. London was adamant about how much she cared for Zack. Indeed, she repeatedly asked the two adults to explain what was wrong about her and Zack dating. And when she asked what made Zack worse than any of the previous guys she'd dated, Moseby knew there was no further point to debate. Though he may have caused a lot of grief to the hotel manager over the years, Moseby knew that Zack was a good and decent young man - moreso than some of London's former flames. And while he didn't want to say so in front of Carey, he was impressed that Zack had fought to defend London's honor.

So after some further talk, and a promise that Carey, London and Zack would discuss the matter of 'ground rules' for dating in the near future, both adults gave their blessings to the relationship.

But Carey did insist that Zack and Cody needed to be disciplined for the fight in the park. As a result, they weren't allowed to go to the club opening with London and Mikayla that weekend.

However, when the two girls decided to skip the club opening themselves so that they could spend the evening watching movies with the boys in the Martin family suite, Carey didn't object.

* * *

A week later, Mikayla had already performed her first few solo shows in the lounge and they'd gone very well. The performance schedule that Moseby and Carey had come up with was working to everyone's advantage. Carey's act remained super popular. She did both afternoon and evening shows on the lounge's busiest days, and then enjoyed time off while Mikayla worked what had traditionally been the lounge's slower days. However Mikayla appealed to a different audience demographic, and so her shows brought in customers who never would have come to the lounge in the first place. The end result was that the lounge was packed for every performance, every day of the week. Mr. Moseby was delighted.

So was Carey, especially when she saw the size of her new paycheck.

Mikayla too, took great satisfaction when she got her first paycheck from the hotel. It wasn't as much as Carey's, and nowhere near what she'd made at the height of her career, but it made her feel good about herself. Now she felt like she was earning her keep at the Tipton, and not taking advantage of anyone's generosity.

* * *

Carey, Cody and Mikayla had gone out together for lunch and were just returning to the hotel. When they stepped into the lobby, Mr. Moseby called them over to the front desk. The hotel manager seemed in an especially good mood, and after exchanging some friendly hellos, he told them why he'd called them over.

"The teacher that I hired to work with Mikayla is here and I thought I could make introductions," he said.

Mikayla watched as a fair-skinned and very pretty redhead walked up to Moseby's side. Before anyone else said anything, Cody spoke up.

"Miss Tutweiller," he said in surprise.

"Hello Cody," she responded with a pleasant smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Miss Tutweiller was the supervising teacher for the semester at sea program on the _S.S. Tipton_," Moseby explained.

"Ah, yes. I think we met briefly but were never really introduced," Carey spoke up as she and the teacher shook hands. "I'm Carey Martin."

"Emma Tutweiller," she replied. "And yes, I remember speaking with you on the ship."

Mikayla then shook the woman's hand and introduced herself.

"I've heard a lot of good things about you," the teacher said. "I'm sure I'll enjoy teaching you."

"I hope so," the singer responded. "I've got to admit, I don't know if I'll be the best student. School was never the number one priority for me in the past."

"Well, let's see if we can change that," Tutweiller said. "I understand your situation and don't worry, I can be patient. I've had to deal with some challenging students in the past."

As if on cue, Zack and London entered the lobby and approached the group.

"Hey guys what's going--" Zack began until he saw the teacher standing next to Mr. Moseby. He let out a yelp of fear and jumped behind his mother. "Ahh! Tutweiller!"

Similarly, Miss Tutweiller let out a shriek and leapt behind Moseby. "Ahh! Zack!"

A second later, after everyone had composed themselves, Miss Tutweiller apologized to Carey.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That was very unprofessional of me."

Carey just laughed. "Please, you have no idea how many of Zack's teachers I've seen react that way."

After Zack and London were brought up to speed on why their former teacher was there, more small talk was exchanged, Miss Tutweiller and Mikayla set a time to meet later, and then Moseby and the teacher excused themselves to go have a late lunch. As they walked away, London smiled.

"Yup, they're dating," the heiress said knowingly.

Zack and Cody began to dispute that idea, bringing up the times back on the ship when it seemed romance might have developed between the two but ultimately did not. Mikayla and Carey listened with interest to these accounts, and also to London's assured response.

"They are totally dating," the rich girl repeated. "Moseby's had her picture on his desk ever since we all got back from the ship."

"Well, whatever they are or aren't doing, it's their business, not ours," Carey said, bringing the topic to a close. Secretly though, she was just as curious as any of the teens and decided it might be interesting to befriend Emma Tutweiller and see what she could find out.

* * *

Mikayla was finishing up her final show of the night. Carey was in the audience as she liked to check in on the younger singer's act just to make sure things were still going smoothly for her. When the show was over, the rest of the audience cleared out while Carey headed towards the backstage area. She was surprised when a middle-aged man headed in the same direction.

"Excuse me," she said as she cut off the man before he could get access to the backstage area. "Only hotel employees can go through that door. Can I help you?" She studied the man as she spoke, trying to assess if he were any sort of threat.

"I just to want to talk to the girl," the man said non-chalantly. He had an expensive toupee that was not quite the right size for his head and a smile like a used-car salesman. "I've got a nice opportunity for her." He looked at Carey and then a gleam of recognition sparked in his eyes. "I've seen your picture. You're the other singer here, right? Carey Martin?"

"Yes," she answered neutrally. "And you are?"

"Hermie Pratt," he replied. "Pleased to meet you. I've seen your show. Great set of pipes you got." He pulled out a business card and handed it to Carey. "You friends with Mikayla? Then give her that card. I'm producing this year's _Youth Scene Music Awards _show." He shook his head and his smile faltered. "Job's a nightmare. Less than two weeks away and I get notice of three live acts that can't make it. Anyway, I've been shuffling the schedule and looking for replacements. Heard that Mikayla was putting on a good show here and thought I'd check her out."

"You want her on the show?" Carey asked.

"I'm thinking she could do two numbers. Her big hit...that 'Cupid' song, and any other one she wants," he replied. "I know it's last second, and it doesn't pay much...but it is a worldwide audience. That kind of exposure never hurts. Anyway, after seeing her tonight she's got the job if she wants it. But she needs to call me in the next two days. Show's getting too close not to have all the acts nailed down." He sighed. "I don't need this kind of stress. I'm getting ulcers on my ulcers."

"I'll give her your card," Carey said, somewhat stunned by this development. "And I'll have her call you right away if she wants to do the show."

"Thanks doll," Mr. Pratt said before he turned and walked away, still muttering about his ulcers.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Two chapters this weekend instead of one. Hope you like them. I realize that the writing may be a little more brisk in these chapters, more like a series of scenes/vignettes. That's because I'm trying to set things up for what will be the final arc of this story. Actually, the end of this chapter starts that arc, which will go on for a little while yet (hopefully without becoming ponderous) and will feature the return of Hannah Montana and company._


	18. Chapter 18

It wasn't yet lunchtime but the dining area in the Martin family suite was unusually crowded. Mikayla and London had joined Carey and the twins to discuss the offer that had seemingly come out of the blue the night before. The offer for Mikayla to appear at the _Youth Scene Music Awards_.

"What do you think I should do?" Mikayla asked. The question was directed mostly to Carey, but the others were ready to chime in with their opinions as well.

"That's up to you," Carey answered. "If it's something you want to do, I know you'd give a great performance."

"It'll be awesome!" Zack enthused. "This could be your big comeback."

"Let's not rush into anything," Cody cautioned. "Mom said that Mr. Pratt seemed a little sleazy." He turned to his mother. "You're sure this is a legitimate offer?"

"I made some phone calls," she answered. "Hermie Pratt is the producer of the show. And there have been some unexpected cancellations from acts that were scheduled to appear. Everything checks out."

"You trust him then?" Mikayla asked.

"Not especially," the older woman said. "But when I said he was sleazy, I meant the typical sort of sleazy that you run into all the time in show business. I've dealt with far worse."

"Then it's no problem," Zack went on.

London was excited about the show as well. "We can use my biggest limo to arrive at the show and we can get brand new outfits for the red carpet. Oooh..." She clapped her hands excitedly. "We'll get new suits for Zack and Cody and they'll be our escorts." She smiled to Zack. "It'll be our first public appearance as a couple."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Carey advised. She turned her attention back to Mikayla. "What do want to do?"

"I'm sort of nervous," the young singer admitted. "But if I got some publicity it could bring more customers to my lounge shows, and that would be good for Mr. Moseby and the hotel." She looked to London, and then smiled at Cody. "And it would be fun to walk the red carpet with my guy and my best friends."

"If that's what you want," Cody said. "Then I'm all for it."

* * *

Time flew by quickly and soon it was the day of the show. London went all out, buying new outfits for everyone. And the limo ride to New York was quite enjoyable.

"This car is bigger than our suite," Carey commented. And while that was an exaggeration, there was plenty of room for everyone.

Zack and London were in especially high spirits and their moods rubbed off on the others. By the time they reached their destination, Mikayla wasn't even feeling any pre-show jitters. She was just excited to be there.

"And here's Mikayla and London Tipton," an announcer called out as the two young beauties stepped out of the limo. Photographers jockeyed for position to try and get good shots.

"What's this?" the announcer continued. "I've heard of matching outfits...but it looks like Mikayla and London have matching dates."

The photographers kept shooting as Zack and Cody walked their girlfriends down the red carpet. They were quite an attractive quartet, and members of press and fans on the sidelines were soon talking among themselves and speculating as to the identities of the girls' dates. Carey tried to remain in the background, following the teens at some distance, but looking as lovely and she did in the new designer gown that London had gotten her, she got a bit of attention from the photographers herself.

* * *

Mikayla's dressing room wasn't overly spacious, but there was room enough for all her companions. As the show started, London, Zack and Cody went and took their seats in the VIP section while Carey stayed with Mikayla to give her any last second assistance she might need. After final checks on makeup and wardrobe, the two left the dressing room to grab some water in the catering area. It was there that Mikayla ran into someone she recognized. To her surprise, he actually greeted her politely.

"Heard you were going to be performing," Robbie Ray Stewart said. "Also heard you don't have that troll for a manager anymore."

"Yes, that's true," Mikayla replied. She then introduced Carey.

"Well, you're a darn sight easier on the eyes than her old manager," he said.

"Thank you," Carey replied. "But I'm not Mikayla's manager. I'm just a friend."

"Is Hannah around?" the young singer asked.

"She's in her dressing room right now," he answered in a somewhat guarded tone. "You telling me you want to talk to her?"

"I know I've been sort of rotten to her in the past," Mikayla said. "But a lot of things have changed since then. And I thought maybe I could make peace."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Robbie Ray responded with a genuine smile. "Right now might not be the best time though. Hannah just finished her first number and she wants to relax until she has to go back onstage. She's going to be closing the show."

"I know," Mikayla said. "My last number is right before her finale."

"I will tell her what you said though," he continued. "And if you don't get a chance to talk tonight, I'll see if I can't get her to give you a call."

* * *

When Mikayla took the stage for her first number, the audience wasn't overly enthusiastic. They did clap for her, but they weren't expecting much. It had been some time since _If Cupid had a Heart _had been on the charts. However, it wasn't too long into her performance before the crowd realized that this wasn't the same old Mikayla. She performed her big hit with more style and flair than she ever had in the past.

And when she was done, the audience showed their appreciation. Mikayla was frozen on stage for a moment, shocked at the ovation she was receiving. She had become used to good reactions from the crowds in the Tipton lounge...but this was different.

This was thirty thousand people screaming their lungs out for her.

"Thank you!" she called out as she exited the stage. She soon got a big hug from Carey who then led her back to the dressing room to get ready for her next number.

* * *

When Hannah Montana and her friend Lola made their way to the catering area, they had a question for Hannah's manager/father.

"Who was onstage a few minutes ago?" Lola asked.

"The applause sounded loud even back in my dressing room," Hannah added.

"Would you believe it was Mikayla?" Robbie Ray replied.

The two girls gave him a look of disbelief.

"No, seriously," Hannah said.

"It was her," he repeated. "She did a bang up job. Never saw her perform like that before."

Hannah turned to Lola. "Remind me to close the sunroof in the limo when we leave tonight."

"Why?"

"Because if Mikayla is suddenly a good singer, then pigs have probably started to fly."

Lola laughed. "Good one."

"Now girls," Robbie Ray admonished. "I ran into Mikayla earlier and I think she may have changed. She told me she wants to bury the hatchet."

"Yeah, in my skull," Hannah shot back. "Come on. It's got to be a trick."

The man shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. She seemed sincere. Why not talk to her later and see?"

"Yeah, sure," the young popstar said with little enthusiasm.

* * *

London, Zack and Cody made their way backstage before Mikayla's second number. All of them had nothing but praise for their friend's performance. The entire group spent some time chatting in her dressing room until Cody asked a question.

"So, is the catering area well-stocked?"

"You want something?" Mikayla asked.

"No," he replied. "Just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed." He had a slight twinkle in his eyes. It didn't take Mikayla long to figure out why.

"Catering area? Where's it at?" Zack questioned. He rarely passed up a chance for free food.

"Mom, you can show Zack and London where it is," Cody suggested.

"Sure," she said. "Come on kids."

A second later, Cody and Mikayla had the room all to themselves.

"Smooth," the singer said with a sly grin.

"Ah, you saw what I did there," Cody replied as he leaned over to kiss his girl.

One kiss led to another...and another.

"They could be back any second," Mikayla managed to get out between kisses.

"I know," Cody answered. "But this is the first time we've been alone all day."

They took the time for one more long, lingering kiss. Just as they finished Carey came back into the room.

"It's almost time for you to go on," she told Mikayla.

* * *

The Martins and London watched from behind the curtains as Mikayla took the stage again. Hannah, Lola and Robbie Ray were also watching from behind the curtains on the opposite side of the stage.

"What's she going to sing?" Lola wondered. "She only had one hit."

A moment later, the music for _I Don't Want to be Your Friend _started and Mikayla began to sing.

The audience was dead quiet at first, being unfamiliar with the song. But the performance was spellbinding. By the time Mikayla reached the first chorus, there were cheers from the crowd.

By the third chorus, thirty thousand people were singing along with her.

Backstage, Hannah and Lola wore the same stunned expression.

"She's on fire," Robbie Ray observed.

Hannah turned and gave her father an annoyed look.

He merely shrugged. "Just saying."

Mikayla finished the song, and there was a brief moment of calm. Then...the audience erupted.

Every single person in the crowd was on their feet. The applause was thunderous, but as it started to fade it was replaced with another sound.

"Mi-kay-la! Mi-kay-la! Mi-kay-la!"

"They're chanting her name!" London said excitedly.

"She's back!" Zack added. "She's going to be bigger than she ever was before!"

Carey and Cody had nothing to add. They only looked on with pride as Mikayla stood under the spotlight. The girl was completely awestruck by the audience reaction, and the look of gratitude and joy on her face was captured by the television cameras and beamed to millions of viewers worldwide.

Finally, Mikayla left the stage and ran into the arms of her friends. But as their group hug continued...slowly they all became aware of something.

The chanting was still going on.

And they weren't the only ones to take note of this. On the other side of the stage, Hannah was looking worriedly to her father.

"Give it a little while longer," he said, trying to be comforting.

"But I'm supposed to go on now," she said.

"Just wait," he responded as he listened for any sign of the chanting to die down. "This...might take awhile."

* * *

Robbie Ray was correct. It did take awhile. In fact, it took more time than the show could afford to wait for. And so, different stagehands approached Hannah and Mikayla at roughly the same moment, but with different messages.

"We need you to go out for an encore," was what Mikayla was told.

"We're sorry, but we have to cut your last number," was what Hannah heard.

And so, while Mikayla and Carey hurriedly conferred with the show's music director and chose a song for the encore, a sullen Hannah asked her father to call for their limo.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks for reading. Please review. _


	19. Chapter 19

The next day, Mikayla's triumphant performance was the top entertainment story on every news network. Everyone seemed to be talking about her.

At the hotel, Mr. Moseby found himself dealing with a lobby that was much more crowded than normal. Reporters, photographers, fans and others were all over the place trying to catch a glimpse of the young singer. It was almost intolerable to the fussy hotel manager...except for the fact that many of the fans present were trying to reserve seats for Mikayla's lounge shows. As it stood now, there was going to be standing room only in the lounge for at least the next two months...and the requests were still coming in.

Mikayla herself had spent most of the day with the Martins in their suite. For one thing, she couldn't go downstairs without being mobbed. Also, she was looking to Carey for advice. A lot of people, from talent agents to music industry executives, were asking for meetings with the girl and she was trying to figure out what her next move should be.

But after hours of talking, no firm course had been decided on. There were so many offers on the table that it was hard enough just trying to keep track of them. Finally, Cody, Carey and Mikayla decided to just take a break from discussing the matter and relax. The timing of this decision turned out to be fortunate, for an excited Zack and London soon arrived carrying a number of newspapers and celebrity tabloids.

"Wait until you read these," Zack announced. "We're famous!"

"We're famous?" Cody replied. "I think you mean Mikayla."

London cleared her throat loudly.

"Excuse me," Cody amended his words. "I think you mean Mikayla and London."

"No," Zack answered. "They were already famous. But now all of us are. Take a look."

Sure enough, the papers were filled with pictures from Mikayla's red carpet arrival at the awards show as well as the show's after-party. Of course, Mikayla and London were the main focus in most of these photos, but there were certainly plenty of coverage of the Martins as well. It seemed that they were deemed newsworthy for being part of 'Mikayla's entourage'.

"Look, they have our names and everything," Zack pointed out.

Indeed, Cody was identified as the producer of _Yay Me!_, London's web show. He and Zack were also identified as London Tipton's neighbors and longtime friends. But that was where the facts ended and the rumors and idle speculation began.

"Have you read all of this?" Cody asked in alarm. "This paper says that the four of us remain good friends despite that fact that I was originally London's boyfriend before cheating on her with Mikayla?"

While Carey and Mikayla were outraged by this, Zack and London just laughed.

"Oh that's nothing," the heiress said as she handed a different tabloid to Cody. "This one says that Mikayla and I have trouble telling you apart so we just switch you around at random."

"And this one says I'm two-timing London," Zack said as he produced another paper and handed it to Mikayla.

"You're supposedly having an affair with Ashley Tisdale?" the singer said in disbelief.

"My first celebrity scandal." Zack beamed with pride.

"How can you laugh at this?" Carey asked her eldest son. "It's horrible."

"Oh don't worry about it," London chimed in. "These are the worst tabloids. They make stuff up all the time. Nobody believes them."

"Yeah, that's why these papers are out so fast," Zack explained. "They don't have to bother with accurate research or fact-checking. They make their money by hitting the stands first."

"Later in the week, the good magazines will be out," London added. "They don't get everything right either but they at least try. And they don't make stuff up out of the blue." She turned and gave Zack a pointed look. "So I better not read anything about you and Ashley Tisdale in any of those."

"You know I only have eyes for you," Zack said with a charming smile. He punctuated his statement by leaning over and giving the heiress a quick kiss.

"I still think it's horrible," Carey said.

"Aw come on Mom," Zack replied. "It's cool. And besides, you come off pretty good in all the articles."

"What? What do they say about me?" Carey started flipping through one of the papers until she came across some pictures of herself. She took a moment to appreciate how flattering the pictures were, she hadn't realized just how nice she'd looked on the red carpet. But she was too concerned about finding out what had been written to dwell on her appearance. She found she was mentioned in most of the articles about Mikayla.

"Okay, this is wrong," she said as she read. "They identify me as Mikayla's manager and life coach."

Mikayla had to smile at this. "Well, you sort of are."

Carey continued reading. "They say I'm a singer here at the Tipton. At least they got that right. And that..." She went silent as a shocked expression came to her face. Slowly the shock morphed into amusement.

"What's it say Mom?" Cody asked.

A big smile came to Carey's face as she answered. "Don't call me Mom. According to this, I'm your and Zack's older sister."

"No way!" Cody exclaimed.

"Told you these tabloids are the worst ones," Zack laughed. "They'll print the most ridiculous stuff."

"Hey," Carey protested. "There's nothing ridiculous about me looking too young to be your mother."

The group continued to look through the various papers. Before too long, Cody and Carey were finding them as amusing as Zack and London. Mikayla also got a good deal of enjoyment from the outrageous stories. It was a nice ego boost to be featured so prominently in the gossip pages once again.

* * *

But while the news coverage of Mikayla was bringing smiles and laughter in the Martin household, it was getting a different reaction across the country in Malibu.

"Mikayla, Mikayla, Mikayla!" Miley Stewart complained as she flipped through various television channels. "Can't anyone talk about something else?"

"Hmm...someone's not a happy camper," Miley's brother Jackson observed with amusement. "Jealous much?"

"I am not jealous," she insisted. "I just think that the news coverage is way too overboard. Why don't they report on the economy? Or the soldiers overseas? That's way more important than Mikayla."

The elder Stewart sibling's response was to make a face at his sister and shout in a funny voice. "JEALOUS!"

Miley threw a couch cushion at him. "You are such a child!" she yelled.

"And you're jealous," he replied, still using the funny voice.

"Cut it out Jackson," Robbie Ray said as he walked into the living room. "I haven't heard anything that annoying since your Uncle Earl got a case of the hiccups in the middle of a hog calling contest."

"Just having some fun Dad," Jackson replied.

"Well, go have your fun somewhere else," he said in a kind but firm tone. "Your sister and I are still jet-lagged from the flight back from New York."

Jackson didn't argue and left to go to the beach. When Robbie Ray was alone with his daughter, he sat down on the couch next to her.

"You shouldn't let this thing about the award show bug you," he said.

"But they cut my number," Miley replied with traces of sadness in her eyes. "I've never been cut from a show. Never. I was supposed to be the big finale."

"These things happen," he responded. "It's part of the business. It never feels good, but it's not the end of the world. You can't let something going wrong at one show get you down."

"Did anything like this ever happen to you?"

Robbie Ray laughed. "First time I was going to be on the _Country Music Awards_, I had the number one song on the charts. Was going to do a huge production number to close the show. Had a rotating stage, a laser light show and a dozen gorgeous dancers dressed like cowgirls. Everything was going to be perfect."

"What happened?"

"The act right before me was this new fellow...named Garth Brooks," Robbie Ray said. "He brought the house down. He got done with his number and the audience just wanted more. They were screaming for him when I went on. And they were still screaming for him when I was over halfway through my song. They weren't even impressed with the dancing cowgirls."

"That sounds awful," Miley said, feeling great sympathy for her father.

"Oh, it was," he agreed. "To be honest, when the crowd wouldn't stop cheering for Mikayla last night I was relieved that your number was cut. There isn't anything worse than being out in front of an audience that's so worked up for someone else that they don't even care that you're there."

"But why did it have to be her?" Miley asked. "Of all the people to upstage me...her! You know she had to love every second of it. Was probably laughing about it with London Tipton all through the after-party."

"Now you don't know that's true," Robbie Ray countered. "I told you she seemed downright friendly when I ran into her. She said she wants to make peace with you."

"That's just what she wants you to believe," Miley said. "It's all some sort of trick. The girl is evil." She paused for effect. "Evil I tell you!"

"Well, just to be sure, why not give her a call sometime and see what she has to say?"

"Do I have to?" she asked with just a hint of whining in her tone.

"It might be a good idea."

"I'll think about it."

"Good. Now in the meantime, I think I know something that'll cheer you up." He rose from the couch and went to fetch a large envelope. "This came in the mail earlier."

Miley looked at the envelope and smiled as she opened it up. It was the latest batch of design drawings for a new Hannah Montana line of clothing that was scheduled to be released later in the year. While there had been plenty of Hannah Montana merchandise released in the past, this particular product line was different. All the designs were being chosen by Miley and only Miley. She had complete and final say on everything to do with the clothing. As such, it was a project that was near and dear to her heart.

Also, it didn't hurt that this clothing line was to be mass marketed worldwide on a scale that dwarfed all previous Hannah Montana products. The conservative estimates were that Miley personally would end up making twenty million dollars when the clothing hit the stores. And possibly three times that much if the sales exceeded expectations.

Not that money was the foremost thing on Miley's mind. She had already earned enough as Hannah Montana to be set for life. Still, this deal would be the most she'd ever made from a single project. She couldn't help but feel a little proud about that.

And so Miley's mood improved greatly as she went over the newest designs and made notes on what she liked and what she didn't. She stopped thinking of her cancelled finale and Mikayla. Later in the evening she called her friend best friend Lily to discuss their plans for the next day. It was to be an afternoon of shopping and fun for Miley and Lily, after they took care of a brief bit of work in the morning.

Hannah was scheduled to be a guest on _Mack & Mickey in the Morning_, and Lily's alter-ego Lola was going along to keep her company.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks for reading. Please review. Oh, and if anyone's interested...last week I wrote my first non-**Suite Life** story. It's a **Wizards of Waverly Place** fic and if you want to check it out, just go to my author profile page. (Keep in mind that it's a different kind of story - exploring different themes than I have in all my other fics.) _


	20. Chapter 20

Hannah and Lola were in the guest dressing room backstage at _Mack & Mickey in the Morning_. Hannah had been a guest on the program many times in the past, so she and Lola were well-known, and well-liked, by the show's crew. As a result it was easy for the two girls to relax and enjoy themselves while they waited for Hannah's segment of the show to start.

"What's this appearance for anyway?" Lola asked. "You have something to plug?"

"Not directly," Hannah answered. "My new CD is almost ready, but it's going to be a few weeks before we start promoting that heavily. And the launch of my clothing line is still months away. So I'm just going to mention them both as things to watch for in the future."

"So this is mostly for fun?" Lola guessed.

"They always have a nice gift basket for me," the singer answered with a grin. "And the appearance fee will pay for some nice spa time this afternoon."

Lola smiled back. "Have I mentioned lately how much fun it is to be your friend?"

* * *

Once Hannah was out in front of the cameras, everything started off smoothly. Mack and Mickey were as overly perky and talkative as ever, but that was to be expected. They had nothing but nice things to say about Hannah, which led up to them showing a clip of a recent performance. In fact, it was of her most recent performance. They played a clip of her number from the _Youth Scene Music Awards_. There was nothing bad about the clip itself, her performance had been just fine...excellent, really. But it served to remind Hannah of how bad she'd felt at the end of that night when her finale had been cut.

"That was just super," Mack enthused when the clip ended. "Just super. You are so talented."

"Thank you," Hannah replied, keeping her smile in place and trying to push her negative feelings aside.

"The whole evening was wonderful," Mickey added. "I know I enjoyed watching it."

"Me too," Mack put in.

"And we weren't the only ones," Mickey went on. "I heard the TV ratings were through the roof."

That comment led to the two hosts joking, in their typical self-deprecating manner, about how they wished they could get those kinds of ratings for their show.

"It was a wonderful night," Hannah said diplomatically when they turned their attention back to her.

"It was, wasn't it?" Mack continued. "They had all the brightest young stars there. You, of course. And...."

As the man started naming off the performers who'd been at the show, Hannah was determined to keep smiling. She braced herself for the name she knew he was going to get to.

"...and Mikayla. Oh, now she was amazing that night."

"Stupendous," Mickey added. "I just loved her. Didn't you, Hannah?"

"She was something," the singer answered through a frozen smile.

From backstage, Lola looked on and felt bad for her friend. For the rest of the segment, all Mickey and Mack seemed to talk about was Mikayla.

* * *

When Hannah's segment was finished, she couldn't out of the studio fast enough. Though she'd remained polite and kept up a decent front for Mack and Mickey, she was extremely annoyed at how the conversation had gone.

"I can't believe it," she complained to Lola as they made their way through the back hallways of the building. "Do I have to hear about Mikayla everywhere?"

Lola tried to offer some supportive words, but never really got the chance to speak. Hannah's rant about her rival just wouldn't die down. Knowing how her friend was when she was in such a bad mood, Lola just listened patiently and gave Hannah a chance to vent her frustrations.

"You get it all out?" she asked when Hannah finally stopped to take a few deep breaths.

"Almost," the pop star replied. "Just one more outburst and I should be good." She took one more very deep breath, looked around to check that there were no witnesses and then let loose.

"Mikayla is a no-talent, two-faced, dirty little bobble-headed, pig-nosed piece of sh--"

"Whoa there sister!" Lola exclaimed, cutting off her friend's angry words. "You know I don't like Mikayla either, but come on. You're letting this whole thing get to you way too much."

Hannah paused. After a few moments of quiet thought, she looked embarrassed. "You're right. I'm totally freaking out over this."

"In a very freaky way," Lola agreed.

A look of resolve came to the singer's face. "Well, that's over with...starting now. There's nothing to be angry about. So people are talking about Mikayla. Why shouldn't they? She gave a really great performance at the awards show. I can admit that. And you know what? Good for her."

"There you go," Lola encouraged. "Way to be the bigger person."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet," Hannah continued. "You know how Mikayla told my Dad she wanted to bury the hatchet? Well, I'm going to call her and see if she's serious."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," she went on. "In fact, I'll call her tonight when we get back from our day out." She stopped as a thought occurred to her. "Oh...but by the time we get home, it'll be way late on the East Coast. That's no good. But I will call her tomorrow."

"Good for you," Lola commented. Then the two girls continued through the back hallways until they found a secluded restroom where they could change their outfits and turn from Hannah and Lola to Miley and Lily.

They had no idea that their conversation about Mikayla had not been as private as they had thought.

For in a side hallway close to where Hannah had unleashed her outburst, a mail room worker had been taking a shortcut to go outside for a smoking break. And this worker just so happened to have a cell phone with a built-in video camera.

"This is gold," the young man declared with a satisfied grin as he watched the playback of the video he'd secretly taken of Hannah and Lola. The picture was clear and the sound was perfect.

"...bobble-headed, pig-nosed piece of sh--" That was where the video had cut off. The phone only had so much storage space after all. But it was still enough footage to fetch a great price.

The man decided to take the rest of the day off so that he could shop the footage around to various media outlets. As he left the building he wondered how soon it would take to find a buyer.

The answer...not long at all.

* * *

It was getting late in Boston, but there were still a number of reporters and photographers gathered outside the Tipton hotel. These particular members of the news media were rewarded for their persistence, for they were present when London's limo pulled up to the front entrance. Inside were Mikayla, London, Cody and Zack who were returning from a night out. The four teens had received a lot of attention all evening, so when they saw the reporters waiting for them, they weren't fazed in the least.

"Hey, why don't we give these guys a thrill and actually take a few questions from them?" Zack suggested. Of all of them, he was enjoying his newfound celebrity status the most.

"Maybe a few," Mikayla added. She was also enjoying the limelight again, after having been out of it for so long. "If it gets annoying we can just run to the elevators."

Cody smiled at his girlfriend. He had no objection to her plan. "I don't mind having my picture taken when I'm standing by the most beautiful girl alive."

"Yeah, and Mikayla's here too," London said. Mikayla responded by trying to give her a dirty look but the two girls ended up laughing while Zack and Cody grinned.

"Face it bro," Zack said. "We've got the two hottest girls in the world."

Cody nodded. "We're lucky men."

And so the quartet was in high spirits as the filed out of the limo and smiled for the cameras. But when the reporters started shouting questions, smiles were replaced with looks of confusion. The questions were all directed at Mikayla and they all were about the same subject.

"How long has Hannah Montana hated you?"

"What's your response to Hannah's comments?"

"What began the feud between you and Hannah?"

"Wait a second," Mikayla shouted, silencing the reporters for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

Several people tired to answer at once, but the singer and her friends were able to get the gist of what they were talking about. Apparently a video had surfaced earlier in the day of Hannah saying some unkind things about Mikayla. It had aired on several entertainment reports and was already available online as well.

"Look, I haven't seen the video so I can't comment on it," she finally answered.

This response caused one reporter to step forward with an iPhone in his hand. "Here, take a look."

All four teens watched as the entire video of Hannah's rant was played. Many of the photographers got excellent shots of the shocked looks on the quartet's faces.

"Pig-nosed?" Mikayla said self-consciously as she raised a hand up to cover her nose. While she knew there was plenty of bad blood in the past between Hannah and herself, she was still taken aback by the venom in her rival's tone.

Cody and Zack were both angry. Zack started to say something but his twin stopped him with a warning look. As mad as Cody was, he didn't want anything to cause more embarrassment to Mikayla in front of the press. "Let's get upstairs."

Cody put a supportive arm around Mikayla while Zack reached out to London. But unlike her friends, the heiress had no qualms about speaking her mind to the press.

"Hannah Montana has no class! Mikayla is a wonderful person and my best friend and anyone who would say those things about her is...is nothing but street trash!" London paused and then added what she felt was the worst insult imaginable. "And she has no style either. The clothes she wears are hideous!"

"Come on babe," Zack urged. "Let's go inside."

The heiress turned to comply, but before she reached the door a reporter called out a fateful question.

"Miss Tipton, since you say Hannah has no style, what are your thoughts on your father's company distributing her upcoming clothing line?"

"Huh?" London had no idea what the man was talking about.

"Hannah has a new clothing line coming out later this year from _Top Shelf Fashions,_" the reporter explained. "That company is solely owned by Tipton Industries, correct?"

"London, how do you feel about your father doing business with Hannah now that she's insulted your best friend?" another reporter called out.

"Babe," Zack urged once more. "Let's get out of here."

But London's eyes were burning with outrage at this point. Her lips curled angrily as she reached into her purse.

Cody and Mikayla, who had retreated into the lobby, came back to the doorway to see why Zack and London hadn't joined them. They saw that all the photographers were pointing their cameras towards London. The heiress was ignoring them all as she spoke - loudly - into her cell phone. It wasn't hard to figure out who she was talking to.

"DADDY!" she yelled.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Anyone think things are going to start to get ugly? Please review. _


	21. Chapter 21

The mood in the Stewart household was tense.

"I still can't get through," Jackson said as he hung up the phone once more.

"Keep trying," Miley urged, although she wasn't optimistic about her brother being successful. Ever since she'd gotten home the previous evening, she had been taking turns with her father and brother in trying to reach Mikayla. Unfortunately, they didn't have her current cell phone number and the people manning the phones at the Tipton hotel's front desk were not being very co-operative. They kept dismissing the calls as pranks.

While Jackson tried again, Lily and her boyfriend Oliver arrived and asked Miley how things were going.

"Horrible," their friend answered. "You've seen the news. Whenever I turn on the TV they're either showing that tape of me slamming Mikayla or the tape of London Tipton calling her dad."

"Is your clothing line really cancelled?" Lily asked. While she'd seen the footage London's call on the news, and it had concluded with the heiress seemingly getting her way, there had been no official announcement about what _Top Shelf Fashions_ was going to do.

"I don't know," Miley answered. "Dad's called them a couple of times, but they won't give us any answers. They say they'll get back to us soon." Her lips started to quiver. "But they can't cancel it. They just can't! This line was going to be special!"

Hating to see his friend so upset, Oliver spoke up. "Man, I wish I could find the guy that made that tape of you."

"Yeah, that scummy little parasite has ruined everything," Lily added angrily.

Miley agreed wholeheartedly with their sentiments, but knew that punishing the opportunistic weasel who'd taped her ranting would do no good. "Maybe if I'd tried to call Mikayla yesterday before we went shopping…before that tape had gotten out…maybe I could have gotten through to her then."

"That would have been so much better," Oliver commented. "Because now whenever you do get through to her, it's going to look like you're apologizing just to save your image."

"But that's not the way it is," Miley complained. "I was going to call her to make peace! I was!"

"We know," Lily said as she tried to comfort her distraught friend.

It was then that Robbie Ray entered the room. The expression on his face was not a good one.

"I finally got some answers from the people at _Top Shelf Fashions_." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miles."

* * *

The amount of calls coming into the Tipton for Mikayla was staggering. It had been bad enough after her performance on the awards show, but now that the 'Hannah versus Mikayla feud' was exploding all over the news things had gotten completely out of hand.

An army of people were gathered outside the hotel. Reporters of course, but also fans…two camps of fans actually. The two groups were easy to tell apart. All one had to do was look at their clothing and see if they were wearing 'Team Mikayla' or 'Team Hannah' tee-shirts.

"Where'd they get all those shirts anyway?" Cody questioned as he looked out the window and down to the street. He was using binoculars to get a close up view of the crowd. "The tape of Hannah just hit the news yesterday and already there are all these tee-shirts out there?"

"Look closer," Zack advised. He had already viewed the crowd through the binoculars. "There are some street vendors down there at the edge of the crowd selling shirts. Probably started printing them up last night as soon as the news starting hitting all the channels." He gave an appreciative grin. "Capitalism in action. Wish I'd thought of it."

"There are more important things to worry about than trying to cash in on Mikayla's misfortune," Carey said sternly.

"This isn't misfortune," Zack argued. "This is great. Mikayla's getting tons of publicity and it's all good. She's the one who's been attacked here. Hannah is the one who comes off looking bad."

"Deservedly so," Cody put in. He was still offended at the things he'd heard Hannah say about his girlfriend.

"Yeah," his twin agreed. "I never knew Hannah was so mean. And to think, I once drew a giant pudding heart on my shirt just for her."

Carey did a double take. "What did you just say?"

"When Hannah was on the _S.S. Tipton_," he answered. "I tried flirting with her by using the pudding…." Zack trailed off as his mother kept gazing at him with a look of bewilderment. "Okay, I know it sounds weird, but it made sense at the time."

"No," Cody responded dryly. "It really didn't."

"Oh, like you never did anything weird when we were on the ship," Zack countered. "How about the time you covered the deck with garbage and dressed up as a trash-mutant from the future?"

"I was making a political statement," Cody insisted.

"Okay, that's it," Carey said. "I think it might be better if you boys don't go back to the ship when school starts up again. It sounds like there's something in the sea air that makes you both act strangely."

"We can talk about that later," Cody said. "Right now I'm more concerned with Mikayla."

Just as the singer's name was mentioned, a knock was heard on the Martin family's door. Zack opened it to find Mikayla and London.

"Ladies, come on in," he said as she let them in, getting a quick kiss from London as she passed him.

"How are you doing?" Cody asked the singer as she came over to him.

"I don't know what to think," she said. "It's a madhouse downstairs."

"Don't let it get to you," Carey advised. "All this commotion will blow over eventually."

"It's just so strange," Mikayla went on. "In the past couple of days I've become more popular than ever. But before I could start to fully enjoy it, this whole thing with Hannah started."

"Don't you worry about Hannah," London said. "If she gives you any more trouble I'll see that she's crushed. Nobody insults my friends."

Mikayla turned to the heiress with an uncertain look. "But...maybe you shouldn't have killed her clothing line."

"After what she said about you?" London replied. "She's lucky that's the only killing I arranged."

"Mikayla has a point," Carey said. "In a case like this, striking back at Hannah might cause things to escalate."

"At one time I would have loved to be able to ruin Hannah," the young singer admitted. "But I was the one who caused all the bad blood between us in the first place."

"But that's in the past," Cody said. "You've told us all about how things used to be. It wasn't all your fault."

"You had horrible guidance back then," Carey added. "Your manager was hostile to anyone she saw as your competition and she encouraged you to be the same way."

"Still, I should have known better," Mikayla said.

"You know better now," Cody told her. "That's what's important."

Mikayla couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend as he looked at her with his warm and caring eyes. She embraced him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Before any further conversation could commence, another knock was heard at the door. This time it was Mr. Moseby.

"Ah, I'm glad you're both here," the hotel manager said as he looked to London and Mikayla. "Mr. Tipton has sent someone here, a Ms. Quigley, and she wants to talk to both of you at once."

"About what?" London asked.

"She didn't say," Moseby answered. "And quite frankly, I didn't press her for details." He frowned. "The woman is quite unpleasant."

Mikayla looked nervous at this news, and even London seemed a little apprehensive.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," Moseby continued. "Don't worry. I have no intention of letting you girls face this woman alone. I'll stay with you during the meeting."

"Thanks Moseby," London responded with a grateful smile.

Mikayla turned to Carey. "Would you come with me too?"

"Of course I will," she said in a reassuring tone.

"I'm coming too," Cody announced.

"Yeah," Zack added as he moved to London and put an arm around her. "Me too."

And so the entire group followed Mr. Moseby back to his office.

* * *

The young teenage girl on the television screen was quite adamant as she talked to the reporter.

"Everyone's trying to make Hannah the bad guy, but she's not!" the girl declared. "She wouldn't have said those things about Mikayla if they weren't true!"

"You're crazy," another teen yelled as she pushed her way into the camera shot. "We've all seen the tape. Now we know what Hannah's really like! She's rotten!"

"No! Hannah's my idol! Mikayla and London are the rotten ones! They're trying to ruin Hannah!"

* * *

"Please shut that thing off," Miley said with a catch in her voice. She was weary and her eyes were red.

"At least not everyone's on Mikayla's side," Lily said as she shut off the television. There are plenty of girls in 'Team Hannah' shirts out there.

"Yeah, I guess," Miley replied. "But that doesn't bring back my clothing line. And it doesn't make that tape of my ranting go away."

"Look you know how celebrity gossip is," Oliver said. "After a while some new scandal will come along and everyone will forget about this."

"Will they?" Miley asked. "I don't think so. Oh, it won't be front page news anymore. People won't mention it to me. But they're going to remember." She cast her gaze downward. "I've always tried to be a good role-model and set a good example. But from now on, whatever else I am, I'm always going to be the petty, jealous diva that bad-mouthed Mikayla."

"You can't think that way," Robbie Ray told his daughter as he walked over to where she was seated and handed her a piece of paper. "What do you think of that? I think it would be a good statement to release to the press."

Miley read the note aloud. "I fully intend to comment on the tape of myself that has been seen so much in the news lately. But I will not do so until after I have first had the chance to speak personally to Mikayla, as I feel it is only right that she should hear an apology from me before the rest of the world does."

"That sounds pretty good to me," Lily said, as Oliver nodded in agreement.

"It is good," Miley said. "But we still haven't been able to reach Mikayla."

"I know," her father replied. "So we're going to be direct. Go pack an overnight bag. We're catching the next flight to Boston."

* * *

Mikayla found Ms. Quigley to be a very grim and frightening individual. It wasn't that she was horrible looking, in fact, if she let her hair down out of the tight bun it was in and took off her horn-rimmed glasses she might have been quite attractive. No, the unpleasantness about the woman seemed to come more from the inside. She projected an air of coldness and contempt for others that was impossible to ignore.

So it was odd when the woman announced that she was there to help Mikayla.

"Help in what way?" Carey asked. She was the least intimidated one of the group. Her protective instincts towards Mikayla were too strong to allow her to be scared of some stranger.

"In her career of course," Ms Quigley answered in an emotionless tone. "It is important to Mr. Tipton that Mikayla go forward from this scandal and achieve great success."

"And why has Mr. Tipton taken such a personal interest in Mikayla?" Mr. Moseby asked.

Ms. Quigley proceeded to explain. When Mr. Tipton had agreed to cut Hannah Montana's clothing line, he was unaware that London's phone call was being filmed by reporters. When it made the news, it showed that Mr. Tipton could be persuaded to cancel a multi-million dollar deal by his daughter's temper tantrum.

"Naturally," Ms. Quigley said. "That is not the type of image Mr. Tipton wishes to project."

She then went on to say that Mr. Tipton's strategy would be to arrange a massive promotional push for Mikayla's career. That would make it seem that he had cancelled the clothing line not simply because of London's tantrum but because he was supporting a promising young star that had been unfairly attacked by a mean-spirited rival. It was in his best interest to portray Mikayla as a wronged innocent and Hannah as a villain.

"Because you're getting so much attention in the media right now," Ms. Quigley told Mikayla. "It is best to move fast. It should be possible for you to have a new CD released by the end of next month."

Carey and Mikayla both let their jaws drop at this news. That sort of timetable was seemingly impossible. But when they tried to tell Ms. Quigley this, she dismissed their objections.

"The new CD will be released by Mr. Tipton's _Soundwave _record label on the date I have specified," she said coldly.

"But I haven't signed with _Soundwave_," Mikayla said. "I haven't signed with any record label yet."

"Yes," Ms. Quigley answered. "I am aware that you are considering numerous offers which have come to you since your appearance at the _Youth Scene Music Awards_. However I am also aware that the offer you've already received from _Soundwave_ is one of the best. With that in mind, I have been authorized to amend that offer." She opened up her briefcase and pulled out a contract which she then handed to Mikayla. "You'll find that this new offer is identical to the previous one with the exception of the signing bonus…which has been increased by a multiple of twenty."

"Multiple of twenty?" Mikayla gasped. "The signing bonus is TWENTY times as much!"

Her eyes widened as she quickly found the part of the contract that stated the signing bonus. There it was in black and white.

"Oh…my…" Carey said as she read the numbers over Mikayla's shoulders. "You can't pass this up."

"I know," the young singer said. She smiled widely with a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Has anyone ever had a signing bonus this big?"

"Not to my knowledge," Ms. Quigley said, again in an emotionless tone.

"How much is it?" Cody asked.

Mikayla turned to her boyfriend with a triumphant smile. "Let's just say that your brother isn't the only one dating a millionaire." She then grabbed him and pulled him into an excited hug.

"Alright," Zack said happily. "This is awesome!"

"Yay!" London added. "Now my BFF is rich too." She paused and went to glance at the contract. She read it until she found the signing bonus amount. "But not as rich as me! Double yay!"

"Now that the matter has been settled," Ms. Quigley said to Mikayla. "You'll be contacted tomorrow by your new manager. He'll make the arrangements for you to begin work on your CD." She then turned to London. "As for you, Miss Tipton, your father instructed me to tell you two important things. First, continue to be seen in public as Mikayla's good friend. It will be useful for publicity purposes."

"That's no problem," London replied. "Mikayla and I really are good friends. We don't need to pretend just for publicity."

"You're darn right," Mikayla put in with a smile as she leaned against Cody, still hugging him.

"Second, and more importantly…do not phone your father while you are being filmed," Ms. Quigley finished with a very pointed look towards the heiress.

After London agreed to that, the unpleasant Ms. Quigley took her leave. Then a very happy group of friends celebrated Mikayla's good fortune.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Thanks for reading and please review. Also, I have a question. This weekend I was reading a lot of other fics for fun (some really excellent ones - go check out **Just One of the Guys** sometime) and I was surprised when I looked at profile pages for some authors and found that they had INSANE amounts of views and hits for their stories. Does anyone know how certain people get so many readers and reviewers? Are there message boards or mailing lists that people advertise their stories on? _

_Oh, one more note. Everyone knows all the characters in the story are from Disney shows. The only named exceptions are Hermie Pratt and Ms. Quigley, who I created. There will be one more original character of my creation who will be playing a slightly larger role than those two - Mikayla's new manager. He'll debut in the next chapter. _


	22. Chapter 22

Carey, Cody, Zack and London had all joined Mikayla in her suite. The manager that Mr. Tipton had hired for the singer was due to arrive soon. All were curious, and bit apprehensive about what the man would be like.

"I still say I should be her manager," Zack said yet again.

"Give it a rest," Cody told his brother.

"Actually, I wish you could have the job," Mikayla said as she looked to Carey. "You've helped me so much."

"Thank you sweetie," Carey replied, touched by the faith that the girl had in her. "I'm always going to be here for you, but you're going to need someone with experience to be your manager. Especially if you're going to get your new album out by that insane deadline that Ms. Quigley set."

Everyone then began discussing the problem of producing an entire CD worth of songs in such a short time. Carey and Mikayla were the only ones who truly understood how much work would be involved.

"But it is possible, right?" Cody asked.

"It's conceivable," Carey answered. "But it's not going to be easy."

* * *

The airport in St. Louis was not an unpleasant place. The food court had a nice selection of tasty treats and the chairs in the waiting areas were well-padded.

Nonetheless, Miley Stewart was very unhappy to be there. She had expected to be in Boston by now. Unfortunately a line of severe thunderstorms had disrupted her plane's flight plan and there seemed to be some difficulty in getting a connecting flight on to her intended destination.

"When can we get airborne again?" she turned and asked her father.

"Can't get an answer on that yet," he replied. "We're just going to have to wait."

Miley sighed and leaned against Lily, who was seated beside her. She was glad that Lily had been able to accompany her for moral support. Oliver had wanted to come as well, but he had some family obligations that he couldn't get out of. Jackson also had to stay behind due to his job.

"I've got some good news though," Robbie Ray said. "Whenever we do get to Boston, we'll have a room waiting for us."

"You got through to the Tipton?" Miley asked.

"Only to make a reservation," he answered. "I still couldn't convince anyone to let us talk to Mikayla."

Miley sighed once more. "It'll probably be better to talk to her face to face anyway."

* * *

James Lafayette was a tall man in his early forties with a boyish face that made him look almost a decade younger, especially when he smiled.

As of late, smiling was not something he did easily.

After twenty years of working in the music industry, the man couldn't point to one accomplishment he was proud of. He'd worked with a variety of artists, all of whom had been either untalented hacks or undisciplined prima donnas. In all cases, despite his best efforts, every artist he'd dealt with had crashed and burned their careers. So he wasn't overly optimistic about his newest job.

_The end of next month, _he thought ruefully. _They expect a completed album to be RELEASED by the end of next month. And they expect me to make it happen. With a teenage singer I've never met. _

When he learned he'd be managing Mikayla, James wasn't sure what kind of artist he'd be getting. Her previous CD had done nothing to impress him. He was hardly a fan of forgettable, bubblegum pop. But then he'd seen her performance at the _Youth Scene Music Awards_.

_I just hope that night wasn't a fluke_, he thought as he knocked on the door to the singer's suite. He forced a smile as he waited for the door to open.

It was Mikayla herself who answered. She was very polite when she invited him in and introduced him to her friends. First Cody, then London and Zack, and finally Carey.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lafayette," she said.

"Please," he replied as his eyes took in the sight of her. "Call me Jim."

Suddenly, his smile was no longer forced.

* * *

Miley, Lily and Robbie Ray were finally able to board a plane in St. Louis, but the jet still had to sit on the runway for a bit.

"Why don't you try and get some rest?" Lily suggested. She was concerned at how fatigued her friend looked.

"I can't," Miley replied. "It's impossible for me to relax."

"Don't worry," Lily said in a reassuring tone. "We'll be in Boston by midnight at the latest, and you can arrange a meeting with Mikayla tomorrow. Things will work out."

"I don't know," Miley responded. "I've been thinking. I go and apologize to Mikayla, and then we make peace in public...and that's supposed to fix everything?"

"Umm…yes," Lily said. "Hopefully."

"But since that tape of me got out, we've been so busy trying to reach her, we haven't really thought about how she's going to react. Maybe she won't accept my apology. Or what if I was right about her before? Dad thinks she might have changed, but what if it was just a trick? If she still hates me…if she's still out to get me…Lily, this is the best chance she's ever had to destroy Hannah Montana."

Lily was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. "She won't do that," she finally told Miley, then silently cursed herself for sounding so unconvincing.

* * *

Mikayla and company were discussing how they could produce her new album.

"There's no time to write new songs," her manager said. "We'll have to do new versions of existing ones."

"An album of all cover songs?" Mikayla said. "That's not very original."

"We don't have much choice," he answered.

"If you pick the right songs, it will work," Carey added.

"Hey, I can see it now," Zack declared in a burst of inspiration. "You call the album 'Mikayla: Cover Girl'. It's a good name and it opens up all sorts of commercial tie-ins with the cosmetics company."

Lafayette glanced over to Zack, impressed. "We could work up a cross-promotional deal. It'd earn more money for Mikayla. That's great thinking."

London hugged her boyfriend. "You're so smart." She followed up on her compliment with a kiss to his cheek.

Zack kept his arms around the heiress as he looked back to Mikayla's manager. "Now since this was my idea, I figure I'm entitled to about eight percent of the earnings."

"Zack," Carey scolded.

"Okay," he replied. "Because Mikayla's a friend, I'll settle for six percent. But that's the gross I'm talking about, not the net."

"Will you be serious?" Cody said as he lightly smacked the back of his brother's head, causing Mikayla to laugh.

"Would you settle for a mention in the album liner notes?" she asked Zack.

"Take the offer kid," Lafayette advised. "First rule of business…don't get too greedy."

Once the 'negotiations' with Zack were through, Carey suggested that Mikayla make of list of songs she'd want to record for her CD. Then it was time for the meeting to end. Zack and London had dinner plans, while Carey had to perform down in the lounge.

"Are there any tickets available for your show?" Lafayette asked Carey as they exited Mikayla's suite. "I'd love to see your act."

"I think I could get a seat for you," she answered.

And once again, the man found himself wearing a smile that wasn't forced.

* * *

Cody stayed with Mikayla and helped her make a list of songs. Mikayla had become familiar with many selections from Carey's CD collection and she sang a few for Cody to get his reaction. Then she sang a few more.

Before they knew it, the hour had grown late. Since neither had eaten dinner, Mikayla ordered room service. After they had shared a nice meal together, they snuggled together on the couch.

"So what was your favorite song?" Mikayla asked.

"They all sound great when you sing them," he replied and was rewarded for his answer with a kiss.

"Seriously, didn't any of them stand out for you?" she asked again.

He considered the matter for a second. "That old _Heart_ song you did was cool."

"You mean _I Want You So Bad_?"

"That's the one."

Mikayla smiled as she started to sing very softly to Cody.

_When the wind's blowing though your hair _

_I want you so bad _

_Want you so bad _

The singer reached up and ran her fingers through her boyfriend's blonde locks.

_I see your smile boy, everywhere_

_I want you so bad_

_Want you so bad _

As Mikayla leaned into Cody, he shifted his weight so that they were both more comfortable. He lay back on the couch, Mikayla lay on top of him.

She stopped singing.

"I want you so bad," she whispered.

His response was to press his lips against hers.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's notes: **__Oh, those wacky teens. Just can't leave them alone for a second. :) Also, now you've met Mikayla's new manager, hopefully he's more likable than my previous original characters (Pratt and Quigley). In other news, I posted a new __**Suite Life **__fic a couple of days ago. It's called __**The Smarterest **__and it might be something that both Cody/London fans AND Cody/Bailey fans would like. So please check it out. _

_Lyrics to __**I Want You So Bad**__ are by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg._


	23. Chapter 23

Hannah Montana took a deep breath and opened the door to the suite. She had to go in alone, those were the conditions of the meeting. She had no choice.

Waiting in the room was Mikayla, sitting comfortably in an almost throne-like chair and flanked by her entourage: London Tipton, those twins and their mother, plus some others that Hannah didn't recognize.

None of them looked welcoming.

"I came to apologize," Hannah began. "I--"

"Silence," Mikayla declared imperiously. "You may not speak until I give you leave. Now…kneel before me."

Hannah did a double take. Since when did Mikayla talk like that? And kneeling? Was she serious?

"Big-headed rival say what?"

Mikayla's response was to snap her fingers. The twins rushed forward and grabbed Hannah's arms, forcing her to the ground. The shocked pop star struggled and cried for help.

"You don't get it, do you?" Mikayla asked, sounding a little more like her normal self. "I'm the one everyone loves now. You're nothing."

As Hannah continued to struggle, one of the twins grabbed her by the hair, not knowing that is was a wig. When it came off, a collective gasp of surprise sounded.

Oh no," the now revealed Miley Stewart cried.

The look of shock on Mikayla's face turned into anger. "You! You were Hannah?!"

Before Miley could respond, Mikayla's anger unexpectedly vanished and the girl began laughing.

"I was wrong," she said as her laughter died down. "You're not nothing. You're less than nothing." She snapped her fingers once more. "Get her out of my sight."

The humiliated Miley was hauled roughly to her feet, but instead of being dragged to the door, the twins adjusted their grip and lifted her up. Then they started running towards the window.

"What?" a disbelieving Miley yelled. "NOOO!!!"

But her terrified scream did nothing to stop her from being thrown through the window. She could barely feel the multiple cuts and gashes from the broken glass…being far more preoccupied with her twenty story free fall towards the hard unforgiving, pavement below.

"NOOOO!!!!"

* * *

"Miley! Miley! Wake up!"

When she opened her eyes, Miley saw her father and Lily at her bedside.

"Must have been some nightmare," Robbie Ray commented as he laid a reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You okay?"

Coming back to her senses, Miley's terror was replaced with embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm sorry for waking you guys up."

They were all in a suite at the Tipton. They'd arrived late and checked in quietly under a false name. No need for the press to know that Hannah Montana was now in the same building as Mikayla.

After some further talk to convince Lily and her father that she was fine, the lights were turned off and everyone tried to get back to sleep. For Miley, this was not an easy task. She kept wondering about when and how she'd meet with Mikayla…and what the outcome of that meeting would be.

* * *

Cody was still in Mikayla's suite, still on her couch, with the beautiful singer still in his arms. As he looked into her eyes his mind flashed back to the first time he'd been alone with her in this suite. As good as that night had been, this was better.

Because now there were no signs of insecurity or desperation in his girlfriend's eyes. She wasn't the same lost and hurt soul that he'd met at the beginning of the summer. Now she was truly happy. And why shouldn't she be? She was getting everything she'd ever wanted.

And at the moment, it was very clear that she wanted Cody.

"Are you sure?" he asked, part of him thinking that it was a little late to start discussing how far they planned to go, seeing as how they were both already half-naked.

"Are you?" she replied.

Cody didn't want to delay in answering and give Mikayla the wrong impression. In fact, almost every instinct he had was screaming at him to stop talking and start helping Mikayla get from a half-naked state to a fully nude one. Still, part of his mind was throwing up a few arguments. The most convincing of which was: shouldn't we put a little more thought or planning into our first time?

"I--" he began, but was interrupted by a knock on Mikayla's door.

"Oh no!" both teens gasped in unison as their eyes turned to the clock. Cody and Mikayla were not supposed to be alone in her suite this late, and both of them were apprehensive that it might be Carey on the other side of the door. As the two scrambled to get dressed, another knock sounded.

"Hide," Mikayla whispered as she headed for the door. Cody looked around in a slight panic before running to the bathroom.

As it happened, it was Carey at the door.

"What's up?" Mikayla asked, doing a horrible job of trying to sound casual.

"Sorry to bother you," Carey answered in a friendly tone. "Just stopping by to say hello." Then she gave the teen a parental look. "Is Cody here?"

"Umm…" Mikayla hesitated. She didn't like lying to Carey but she didn't see much choice. "He was. We didn't realize how late it was. He was helping me with song ideas." She went and grabbed the list she'd made earlier. "See?"

Carey took the list and looked it over for a moment. Then she turned her attention back to the girl. "So Cody left when he realized how late it was?"

"Just a little while ago," she replied.

Carey smiled. "I know you probably think I'm being too nosey, but I appreciate you and Cody sticking to the rules I put down. I know how it feels to be young and…" she trailed off as she gazed over Mikayla's shoulder. "Is that your bra on the floor?"

Mikayla looked over and saw the dropped article of clothing. Quickly she snatched it up and held it behind her back.

"I'm such a slob," she said nervously. "Boy, I'm glad Cody didn't see that when he was here. Talk about embarrassing."

Carey was silent for a while as she looked at the teen. She cared a great deal about Mikayla and did think that she and Cody made a wonderful pair. But at the same time it was sometimes still hard to accept that her sons were becoming men.

"For my own peace of mind, I'm going to believe that you're a slob," she finally said. "And that's alright since I know you have other good qualities…like being careful and responsible."

Mikayla didn't miss how Carey stressed the last three words.

"I try to be," the girl responded. "And so does Cody."

Carey then bid the girl goodnight and left. Cody came out of hiding.

"I need to get going," he said.

"I know."

The two kissed and then Cody made his exit.

* * *

The next morning, Mr. Moseby was behind the front desk and in a fairly content mood. While there were still crowds of reporters and fans outside the hotel, the lobby was quiet and peaceful. The increased security he'd hired were doing their job well.

_Hopefully this will be a nice calm day with no surprises,_ he thought.

Of course, that was the moment that one of the elevators opened its door to reveal three people he'd seen before. It was Hannah Montana, along with her manager and her friend Lola.

"Hi Mr. Moseby," she said. "Nice to see you again."

Being so surprised, it took the man a moment to respond. "Yes, thank you. But when did you arrive?"

Hannah explained that she'd arrived the other night and checked in under an assumed name.

"Well, allow me to give you a belated welcome," he said politely. "If there's anything you require during your stay here, please let me know."

Hannah couldn't help but note that the hotel manager's demeanor was not as warm or enthusiastic as it had been in their previous encounters. He was still friendly, but he didn't seem especially pleased to see her.

"I could use your help," she explained. "I came here to see Mikayla."

"To apologize?" Moseby replied.

The pop star nodded. "I haven't been able to reach her, so we came all this way so I could do it in person." She paused. "I feel really bad about what's happened."

Mr. Moseby seemed to consider the matter for a moment before responding. "I can give Mikayla the message that you're here. I'd prefer that any meeting between the two of you take place in private. The press has been very intrusive here of late and I wouldn't want a huge spectacle to take place in my hotel."

"That's what I want too," Hannah assured him.

And so Moseby confirmed which room Hannah was in and promised that he'd inform Mikayla.

* * *

The Tipton lounge wouldn't open for Mikayla's afternoon show for a few hours yet, but it was still being put to use. Carey and James Lafayette were looking over the list of songs Mikayla had written last night. Meanwhile the young singer was getting ready to run through a couple of them.

"The girl has excellent taste in music," Lafayette commented as he read the list. "I'm surprised though. I think every song she's picked is from before she was born."

"They're all favorites of mine," Carey explained. "Before Mikayla came to the Tipton she hadn't been exposed to a great variety of music. I tried to help her with that."

"I'd say you were a very good influence then," he replied with a smile. He knew he was becoming hopelessly smitten with Carey. He just wished he could tell what kind of impression he was making on her.

"I try," she replied. "She's a great girl." Her expression became very serious. "I'm going to be straight with you. Mikayla's old manager didn't do right by her. You seem like a nice guy, but I want you to know that I'm going to be watching you. If you start to steer her wrong, you and I are going to have problems."

"I appreciate your honesty," he said. "You can trust me when I say that I'm only going to act in Mikayla's best interests. And I certainly don't want to have any problems with you." He paused. "That's absolutely the last thing I'd want."

Carey couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. "Mr. Lafayette--"

"I thought I asked you to call me Jim," he interrupted.

"Jim, I--" But once again she was interrupted, this time by Mikayla.

"I'm ready to go whenever," the girl called out from the stage.

Carey and Jim waved for her to go ahead, and Mikayla begin to sing.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Hope you liked this chapter. I've been having a bit of a struggle with writer's block this week. But anyway…what happens next? Will Mikayla meet wiith Hannah? Will the press find out? What was Carey going to say to Jim? Will Mikayla lose her bra again? Who knows? But stay tuned as Zack and Cody talk about sex. (?) Please review. _


	24. Chapter 24

Mikayla had just finished an excellent rendition of Pete Townshend's _Let My Love Open the Door_ and her manager was very impressed. She had a good voice and, more importantly, she did a great job of projecting her personality and charisma into her singing. And though Mikayla had her own style, Jim did notice a few mannerisms that were very close to ones he'd seen from Carey in her lounge show the night before.

"Whoever taught her sure knew what they were doing," he commented as he flashed a knowing smile towards Carey.

Before Mikayla could begin another song, Mr. Moseby entered the room.

"I have some news," he said in a serious tone.

* * *

Up in the Martin's suite, Zack was heading out to get a bite to eat. He saw his twin sitting on the couch and asked Cody if he wanted to join him.

When Cody didn't respond, Zack moved in front of him. Cody looked up, startled. Zack realized that his brother hadn't heard him or even been aware that he was in the room.

"Dude," Zack said. "What's with the zoning out?"

"Sorry," Cody said apologetically. "I was just thinking about something."

"No kidding," Zack replied with a smirk. But though his attitude was outwardly flippant, he was curious about why his brother was so distracted. "Anything wrong?"

Cody hesitated, wondering if he should talk to Zack about the matter. On the one hand, his twin was sometimes so immature. On the other hand, when it really mattered, Zack always did his best to help. With that in mind, Cody told Zack about what had nearly happened the night before.

"Oh man," the elder twin said. "And Mom almost caught you? Geez, I would've had a heart attack."

"Yeah, that part was…not fun," Cody admitted. "But that's not what's been on my mind." He paused. "I don't know if…what I mean is…if Mom hadn't come to the door…"

Zack stopped his brother. "What you're saying is, you don't know if you and Mikayla should do it. Am I right?"

Cody was surprised at how well his twin was able to cut to the chase. "Yeah."

Zack didn't smirk or make any jokes. He just looked at his brother thoughtfully. "Do you want to? Because it sounds like Mikayla does."

"Yeah, and that took me by surprise," Cody replied.

Zack shook his head. "Everyone acts like guys are always the ones that can't wait to have sex. It's a stereotype. Granted it's true a lot of the time, but it's still just a stereotype." He smiled. "Girls get horny too."

Cody studied his brother's expression. "It sounds like you're speaking from experience."

Zack's smile faded and he looked more serious as he leaned forward slightly. "I am, but…what I tell you now never leaves this room, right?"

Cody nodded.

"I've never actually…I'm still a virgin."

Cody wasn't entirely shocked at this news, but he was surprised that his brother would willingly admit to it.

"But I have done some stuff with a few girls," Zack continued. "More than just making out, you know? And half the time it was the girl's idea. So you shouldn't be freaked out or anything just because Mikayla initiates things.

"That doesn't really freak me out," Cody said. "I like the fact that she wants me. It's just that...I want our first time to be special."

"I get that. Believe me, I get it," Zack said. There was something in his tone that piqued Cody's interest.

"I know it's none of my business, but…how much have you done with London?" Even as he asked the question, Cody felt strange. But part of him really wanted to know.

Zack didn't seem bothered at all by the topic. "You know how it was a big secret at first about me and London? Since Mom didn't know we were a couple, I could go and hang out in London's penthouse all the time. Neither of us wanted to rush anything, but we had all these opportunities to be alone...so we talked about how far we wanted to take things."

"And what did you decide?"

"London wants to wait," Zack answered. "She'd already decided a couple of years ago that she wants her first time to be on her wedding night."

"Really? How'd you react when she told you that?"

Zack paused and, for the first time in the conversation, seemed to be slightly embarrassed. "I told her I'm cool with it. Now if she ever changes her mind, I'm ready to go. I'd love it if London and I were each other's firsts. But I don't know if that's ever going to happen. If we stay together…if someday we end up marrying each other, I know I'll be looking forward to the honeymoon." He laughed, but there were clearly other emotions in his eyes. "The thing is, I know the whole waiting for the wedding idea sounds like some corny fairly tale. But if that's what London wants, then I want her to have her fairy tale…even if I'm not the one who winds up as her prince."

Cody was silent for a moment. For the first time he understood the depths of his brother's feelings for the heiress. "There's something I should have told you a while ago. I haven't because I actually didn't realize it until right now. But it definitely needs to be said." He looked Zack in the eyes. "I am really glad you and London are together. You're my brother and she's someone that I…she means a great deal to me. I'm happy for you both."

Zack answered in a serious tone. "Thank you. I feel the same way about you and Mikayla. Exactly the same."

Both were quiet for a second and then Zack stood up.

"Okay, enough with this brotherly bonding stuff," he declared. "It's almost lunchtime and I'm in serious need of some burgers. You want to come?"

And with that, the twins went out in search of some fast food.

* * *

Mikayla stood outside the unfamiliar suite door. At her side were Carey, Jim Lafayette and Mr. Moseby.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Carey asked. "If you want to take some time first, we can arrange a meeting later."

Mikayla shook her head. When Mr. Moseby had informed her that Hannah was in the hotel and wanted to talk to her, she'd decided that there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

And yet, she couldn't quite bring herself to knock on the door.

"Don't worry," Jim told the girl. "We're right here with you." He winked at the girl. "If I have to, I'm pretty sure I can take down Hannah. As long as she doesn't get a good kick at my right knee. Old football injury."

Her manager's attempt at lightening the mood was successful and Mikayla let out a small laugh. "Hopefully it won't come to that." Then she knocked at the door.

As they waited for a response, Carey turned to Jim. She appreciated how supportive he was being towards the young singer.

"Football injury, huh?" she asked. "Was it bad?"

"Horrible," he answered in a deadpan voice. "It was years ago. I banged my knee on the coffee table while watching Super Bowl XX."

Carey had to smile. "You're funny."

"One of my many good qualities," he replied.

* * *

When Robbie Ray heard the knock at the door he went to answer it, but didn't open it right away.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"It's Mikayla," came the answer.

Robbie Ray turned back to look at his daughter and Lily. Fortunately Miley still was dressed as Hannah. Lily had taken off her own wig, but it only took her a moment to put it back on and turn into Lola.

"You ready?" Robbie Ray asked the girls.

Hannah stepped forward and nodded.

When Mikayla and her companions stepped inside some coolly polite introductions were made for those that had never met. Neither Mikayla nor Hannah said much until after Robbie Ray invited everyone to sit down. Hannah remained standing and faced Mikayla.

"I know you might not believe this, and I wouldn't blame you," she said. "But I'm really sorry about what I said on that tape. I was only venting because…I was angry and jealous. Right after I said it, my best friend pointed out how petty I was." She glanced to Lola. "And she was right. The tape didn't show that. But I swear it's the truth."

"Yeah, that's exactly how it happened," Lola chimed in. "She was sorry about it right then and there. And we didn't have any idea we were being taped."

"I was planning to call you and see if you really wanted to make peace like I'd heard," Hannah continued. "But then that tape came out and…you know." She paused. "I don't know what else to say."

Mikayla looked at her rival, noting Hannah's dejected expression.

"So you were jealous of me?" she finally said. "After being one of the biggest stars in the world all this time, you were jealous of me? Over what? One awards show performance?"

Hannah swallowed hard. It seemed that Mikayla wasn't going to make things any easier.

"You were so good that night," she said. "They had to cut my finale because the audience only wanted you. I've never had anything like that happen before. And after all that's happened in the past…I couldn't stand being upstaged by you."

"But I wasn't trying to," Mikayla replied. "That never even entered my mind."

Hannah frowned. While she knew she owed her rival an apology, Mikayla's words were hard to believe.

"The first time we met you told me you hated me," the pop star shot back. "And you bragged that you'd steal all my fans at that benefit concert in Florida. You seriously expect me to believe you didn't enjoy upstaging me?'

Mikayla stood up, a flash of anger in her eyes. "That was then," she said loudly. "And yeah, I used to be rotten to you. I know that. But a lot of things have happened since then. I had a lot of things to think about that night and trying to show you up was not on my mind."

Hannah opened her mouth to respond but caught a meaningful glance from her father. She took a deep breath to remain calm. "Yeah, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I have no idea what you were thinking that night. And that's not the point anyway. The point is I needed to apologize to you. So like I said, I'm sorry."

Mikayla took a few deep breaths herself. "Alright. I accept your apology."

A small smile of surprise came to Hannah's face. "You do?"

"I just found it hard to believe you were jealous of me," Mikayla admitted. "I was always jealous of you. That's why I treated you so badly. You were a huge star with all those hits and millions of fans. The critics liked you and…you were so much better than me."

Hannah's eyes widened. "You always thought I was better than you?"

"You were better than me," Mikayla repeated. "I knew that." She paused and smirked. "Of course, that was back then. I'm way better now."

Hannah's jaw dropped but then she noticed the twinkle in her rival's eyes. She could barely believe it, but Mikayla was actually attempting to kid around with her…as if they were friends.

"You are better," Hannah finally said and then grinned. "Better than you used to be, that is. No way are you better than me."

Mikayla laughed, Hannah joined in, and a collective sigh of relief filled the room. It was if a huge weight that had been bearing down on everyone had suddenly vanished.

"Well, I cannot tell y'all how glad I am that this dang feud is finally over," Robbie Ray spoke up.

"I'm glad too," Mikayla said. Hannah nodded in agreement.

"It's very good news," Mr. Moseby added. "Now maybe some of that crowd outside the hotel will finally go home." He glanced to Robbie Ray and then Jim. "Would you like to arrange a press conference here at the Tipton? You can announce that all is well between your two stars."

Jim lifted one hand up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I hate to put a damper on things," he said. "But that might be a problem."

**

* * *

**

To be continued...

_**author's note: **__So how did this chapter compare with the last? I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on Zack and Cody's talk, and of Mikayla and Hannah's long anticipated meeting. _


	25. Chapter 25

Every eye in the room had turned towards Jim.

"Problem?" Carey asked.

"Why is it a problem?" Hannah added. Then she gave Lola a quick glance. "I don't like problems."

Jim stood and moved towards Mikayla. "Let's talk in the other room for a second."

"Other room?" Hannah spoke again. "Why the other room?" She turned to Lola once more. "I don't like the other room."

Lola patted her friend's arm. "Relax. You're babbling."

Robbie Ray stood up and addressed Jim. "This is something you can't say in front of us?"

"I'm not trying to be rude," he answered. "But I need to speak with Mikayla first. If she wants to share the information, I'll tell you everything."

From what Robbie Ray could tell, Jim was trying to be honest with him. "Alright, go ahead."

Jim escorted Mikayla into the other room. Carey went with them while Mr. Moseby stayed with Hannah and company.

"I'm sure that whatever it is you'll all be able to work things out," the hotel manager said.

* * *

A short time later, Mikayla, Carey and Jim returned. The young singer looked troubled, Carey looked angry and Jim was trying not to look upset.

"This problem is big, isn't it?" Robbie Ray asked.

Mikayla looked to her manager. "Tell them," she said in a quiet voice.

Jim proceeded to explain about all the promotion that Mr. Tipton's company was putting behind Mikayla and her new album. A major part of the marketing would be to promote Mikayla as the 'true' positive role model for young fans. And Hannah's taped rant was going to be utilized to create a contrast between the two, painting Hannah as a villain.

"So if Mikayla publically makes peace with Hannah, the label is going to give her trouble," Jim concluded.

"Typical." Robbie Ray shook his head in disgust. In the past he'd had to deal with plenty of industry executives. He knew exactly the kind of trouble that Jim was talking about.

"Wait," Hannah said as she looked to Mikayla. "So even though I apologized, you're going to keep holding that tape over me?"

"Not me," Mikayla answered. "The record label."

"But you're going to go along with it?" The anger in Hannah's voice was clear.

"I don't want to," she replied. "But I signed a contract."

"So break it," Hannah snapped. "What's so bad? You get dropped by your label and then some other company picks you up. You're popular now. Lots of people must be looking to sign you...right?"

"I wish it were that simple," Jim said. He then explained how Mr. Tipton's company would most likely react to punish Mikayla. They wouldn't let her go since they knew she could find work elsewhere. Instead they could require her to keep working under the terms of her contract, but they could hold any recordings she did and never release them. There'd be no royalties for her but she'd still be forbidden from signing with any other record label.

As Jim finished his explanation, Carey cursed under her breath. Jim spared her a glance only to be met with an angry glare. He knew that Carey was outraged by this development, and unfortunately she was directing more than a little of her anger towards him. He wanted to explain that he'd had nothing to do with this promotion strategy and that he didn't agree with the company's policy at all…but now wasn't the time. His first priority was to protect Mikayla's interests.

"Do you really think they'd sit on her album?" Robbie Ray asked. "They wouldn't make any money doing that."

"I know," Jim answered. "But this is as much about image as money. The company wants Hannah to be shown in a bad light so that it looks like Mr. Tipton did the right thing by cancelling her clothing line."

The mention of that subject was the last straw for Hannah. "He didn't do the right thing!" she exploded. "This is so stupid!" She moved to face Jim and Mikayla. "I didn't do anything wrong except lose my temper for one moment, and now you want to destroy my life!"

"No I don't," Mikayla answered. "I swear."

"Look, I know this is hard on you," Jim said to Hannah. "But you can just wait it out. Once Mikayla's album is released, the Tipton people should be satisfied. We'll convince them to change their strategy and end the feud. We can arrange a press conference where you two make peace and say it was all a big misunderstanding."

"Wait until the album comes out?" A disbelieving Hannah turned toward her rival. "But you just got signed. You can't have started work on it yet. You expect me to wait this out for months?"

"No, it's not that long," Mikayla spoke up. "We're working on an insane deadline. It'll be released at the end of next month."

Hannah was surprised at this. That kind of schedule was very short for an entire album's worth of material to be produced. But it was still too long for her to endure having her reputation trashed in the media. And there was something else about that timetable that seemed strange to her. Her father figured it out before she did.

"The end of next month?" Robbie Ray asked. "What date exactly?"

When Jim answered the question, Hannah threw her hands in the air.

"Unbelievable!" she exclaimed as she stormed out of the room. Lola followed, trying to comfort her.

Mikayla and her companions looked to Robbie Ray with confused expressions.

"That's the same day that Hannah's new CD is being released," he said.

* * *

As Mikayla and her companions waited in an awkward silence, Robbie Ray was in the other room trying to calm down Hannah. Eventually he and Lola managed to coax Hannah back out and everyone tried to resume a reasonable discussion of the situation.

Those efforts failed spectacularly.

Mikayla understood Hannah's position. She even agreed with it for the most part. But she couldn't sabotage her own career just to save Hannah's reputation. It might not have been fair to ask Hannah to wait…but life wasn't always fair.

Hannah on the other hand was fed up. Her goal wasn't to destroy Mikayla's newfound success, but it wasn't right that she should have her entire image ruined for one simple mistake that had been blown out of proportion. The fact that their CDs would debut on the same day may have been a brilliant marketing move…but it would also ensure that the Mikayla/Hannah feud would get even more coverage than it already had. And every bit of coverage seemed to tear away more and more of Hannah's good name. A month's worth of that might do more damage than any public apology could repair.

The girls couldn't come to a middle ground. And before long, Hannah wasn't the only one that was angry.

"I told you I'm not trying to hurt you," Mikayla said loudly. "But I can't destroy my own career just to save yours!"

"Yeah, because you have to be the big star again," Hannah said with a sneer. "Couldn't be happy living a normal life when your fame started to fade."

The icy glare that Mikayla gave Hannah at that comment should have been a clear sign to change the subject. Unfortunately Hannah was too upset to heed the warning.

"You were on your way to being forgotten, but then you buddy up with London Tipton and get to buy yourself a second chance," Hannah said. "Must be nice."

"You have no idea what I went through!" Mikayla shouted. "You think your life is being ruined? My life was over! I had nothing! But yeah, I got a new start…and I'm not giving it up!"

The two teens began screaming at each other as everyone else tried to calm them. Their insults became more vicious as the volume of their voices increased. The noise might have continued for hours if not for a sudden unexpected reaction. For when Hannah let loose with an especially nasty verbal attack that was directed at both Mikayla and London…someone else in the room let out a yell so loud that it quieted everyone.

"MISS MONTANA!"

All eyes turned to the source of those words…Mr. Moseby.

There was dead silence as the hotel manager's expression turned from angry to calm. He took a moment to adjust the handkerchief in his suit pocket and then spoke in a measured voice.

"Miss Montana, I understand this is quite an upsetting situation for you. However there are certain facts you are not aware of. Your opinion of both Mikayla and London is based on false assumptions and I would suggest that you refrain from making any further disparaging remarks about them."

Hannah had no idea how to react to the man. He was being exceedingly proper yet cold, almost…threatening.

"No offense, Mr. Moseby," she replied, trying very hard to sound respectful. "But this really isn't any of you business."

Moseby continued to exhibit the same polite but frightening demeanor as he responded. "Perhaps you're right. But one thing that is my business is managing this hotel. And as the manager, I'm asking you and your party to leave. I suggest you start packing."

Hannah's eyes widened even as her father stepped forward.

"Now wait one second--" Robbie Ray began.

"I don't think anything will be resolved with your continued presence" Moseby said, cutting the man off. "Now that you've met with Mikayla and her manager I'm sure you'll be able to conduct any further discussions with them by phone or other means. In any case, I'm not going to tolerate another screaming match in this hotel."

"I should've known you'd take her side," Hannah said angrily. "You work for London's dad."

"Yes I do," he answered. "But I'm taking Mikayla's side because I know she and London are both fine young ladies." He gave her a pointed look. "Like I used to think you were."

With that, Mr. Moseby led Mikayla, Carey and Jim out of the suite.

* * *

Miley and Lily were dressed as themselves to avoid the attention that Hannah and Lola would have attracted. As a result, it was simple for them to exit the Tipton and cross the street to check into the Saint-Mark. After they'd secured a room for themselves, Miley looked to her father as they took the elevator up to their floor.

"Was I out of line?" she asked.

"You were," he answered while looking straight ahead, not meeting her eyes. "And I don't want to hear you use language like that again." Then he finally turned to her. "But you weren't the only one out of line."

She leaned against him, grateful for his understanding. "It's not fair."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "Not to you…and not to Mikayla either."

"So what are you going to do now?" Lily asked.

"Well, we could wait and make peace after the albums come out," Robbie said. "Or we could talk to the press and give our side of the story. Either way Mikayla's label is going to keep bad mouthing Hannah. It might be best if we just stayed quiet."

"I wish there were another way," Miley said.

"I do too," he said. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the business card he'd gotten from Jim Lafayette earlier, before the meeting had turned chaotic. If Robbie could figure out a way to smooth things over, at least it would be easy to get in contact with Mikayla and her manager.

It was the 'figuring out' part that was going to be trouble.

* * *

Mikayla was back in her own suite. Carey, Jim and Mr. Moseby were still with her. In addition, London, Zack and Cody had joined the group and had just been informed about the disastrous meeting with Hannah.

"I'm telling Daddy to give you a raise," London said as she looked to Moseby. "But you should have had security guards drag Hannah out into the street." She paused. "And then had her tarred and feathered!"

Zack put an arm around the heiress in an attempt to calm her. "Remind me never to make you mad."

"Seriously Mr. Moseby," Mikayla said. "Thanks for the support."

"I fear I may have overreacted just a bit," the man replied. "I hope I haven't made matters worse." He looked towards the young singer. "But rest assured that you can always count on my support."

"So there's no chance to make peace now?" Cody asked.

"Doesn't seem like it," Jim replied.

"Especially not when some people would rather have the girls at each other's throats," Carey spat out, shooting an evil look towards Jim.

"This was not my idea," he shot back in a voice that came out much angrier than he intended.

"Please," Mikayla pleaded. "No more yelling." She sighed. "I've had enough of that for one day."

"Right," Jim said. He walked over and sat down next to the girl. "I'm sorry things are getting so ugly. From now on I don't want you to think about Hannah or this feud. We're going to concentrate on getting your new album out. I know the schedule is tight…but you can do it."

"But will it be any good?" Mikayla asked. "We're going to be so rushed."

"Kid, after hearing you sing earlier, I don't think you could put out a bad record if you tried." He gave her a warm smile. "You're one of the best performers I've ever seen."

Mikayla appreciated the kind words, especially since they seemed so genuine. And she appreciated what her manager said next even more.

"Look it's been a rough morning," he said looking towards Carey and Mr. Moseby. "Why don't we let the younger generation relax while they can?" He checked his watch. "Mikayla does have to do some lounge shows later."

The three adults then left Mikayla's suite. Mr. Moseby headed towards the elevator, but Carey simply stood in the hall and asked Jim to stay and speak with her.

"You did a good job just now with Mikayla," she said somewhat hesitantly. "I might have been a little unfair with you."

"I didn't have anything to do with promoting this feud with Hannah," he replied. "That's the truth. Ms. Quigley may have picked me for this job…but I don't work for her or Mr. Tipton or anyone else in his company. I work for Mikayla…period."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you before," she said.

Jim was relieved at those words. "I…" he began but then trailed off. He grinned. "I don't know if I can accept your apology."

Carey raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I'm not in the proper apology-accepting mood," he answered. "But I think we could fix that."

Putting her hands on her hips, Carey gave him a suspicious look. "And how exactly would we do that?"

"It's a long complicated process," he replied. "We'll need to discuss it over a late lunch…and then again over dinner."

"Well, I'll give you credit for originality," she said. "I've never had someone ask me out for two dates at once."

"Hey, if it the first two work out, maybe later I'll ask you for three at once."

She shook her head and laughed. "We'll start with lunch. I'm not making any promises about dinner."

"You're a tough negotiator, Carey," he said. "I respect that."

And then the two went downstairs to seek out the proper venue for their lunch date.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__Some have been concerned about the pace starting to drag. Personally, I could keep writing this thing for many more chapters because I love the characters so much...but I don't want to bore people. Rest assured that the end is coming soon. If I can't finish the story by chapter 30 (if not sooner) I will consider myself the greatest failure in the history of faildom. Let me know if you're still enjoying the story. (Or not.) Please review._


	26. Chapter 26

Life got very hectic very quickly for Mikayla.

She was in and out of the studio constantly, laying down vocals for her CD. Fortunately, she proved to be very adept at giving great performances in as few takes as possible. It didn't hurt that Carey and Jim were both very encouraging and supportive at each recording session.

Still, it was a lot of work. Balancing her time became tricky. Mr. Moseby offered to give her time off from her lounge shows, but the young singer refused. She felt she owed the man after all he'd done for her. To her credit, her lounge performances showed no decline in quality whatsoever. No one that saw her on stage realized how hard the girl was pushing herself.

Cody saw it. He was at her side whenever she wasn't working. Mikayla appreciated his steady presence, though she felt guilty that they couldn't really have any fun together. They didn't have time to go out, and when they were alone together Mikayla rarely had the energy to engage in even a short make-out session. Not that her boyfriend ever complained. He always did everything he could to help her relax. It became common for Mikayla to fall asleep as he gave her a gentle shoulder massage or back rub. Then she'd awaken the next morning in her bed to discover that not only had Cody tucked her in, he'd also set her alarm clock and left a note that listed her schedule for the day. Actions like this made Mikayla look forward to completing work on her album that much more. She longed to have the time to do something special for Cody. His thoughtfulness deserved a proper reward.

* * *

Miley's schedule was currently not as hectic as her rivals, but her life was still far from relaxing. She'd hung around in Boston for another two days after being kicked out of the Tipton. Her father and Mikayla's manager had a few phone conversations during that time, but both men had agreed that any further meetings would have to wait. Miley had listened in on some of their calls, and at times had almost laughed bitterly. As difficult as the situation was, Robbie Ray and Mr. Lafayette were always reasonable and polite to one another. Miley wondered if she and Mikayla would ever be able to communicate like that. At the same time, she wondered if it would have made a difference. Because even though their respective managers had no animosity towards each other, it didn't change the fact that they couldn't find a way to end the Hannah/Mikayla feud.

Thus, Miley returned home with nothing resolved. And then Hannah had to face the press. She had many interviews and appearances that had been scheduled long ago to promote her upcoming CD, but now all those appearances were filled with questions about Mikayla.

She did as her father asked and refused to comment on the feud or say anything negative about her rival. That didn't stop reporters from putting their own spin on her silence. No matter what she said or did, somehow the stories were twisted. When Hannah expressed enthusiasm or excitement about her new album, stories would come out that she was bragging about how much better it would be than Mikayla's.

And so it went.

* * *

Cody was always putting up a good front for his girlfriend, but it wasn't easy. He was not enjoying life at the moment. He wanted so badly to have some time with her that wouldn't be dominated by her demanding work schedule or by media scandal. In fact, the media was getting intolerable. To his own surprise, Cody was now famous. Much more famous than he would've anticipated. When he'd first seen himself in the tabloids that Zack and London had laughed about, he'd never imagined where it would lead.

He couldn't go anywhere now without being recognized. Sneaking out the back of the hotel to avoid reporters didn't help anymore. He couldn't go to any of his and Zack's old hangouts without someone coming up to him. Reporters, photographers, fans of Mikayla, fans of Hannah, girls who hit on him shamelessly, guys who hit on him shamelessly…it was too much!

Zack was not immune to this either, but he had an advantage Cody did not…London. The heiress had long been accustomed to the intrusions of privacy that came with being a celebrity. Although her friendship with Mikayla and her involvement in the Hannah feud had served to increase the intensity of her own media spotlight, London could deal with such things. Zack may not have been able to walk down the street or skateboard in the park, but his girlfriend's private limos, helicopters, jets and yachts managed to take him to plenty of fun places.

Of course Cody was always welcome to go along with his twin and London but he usually declined. It wasn't very fun being a third wheel, and watching Zack and London together just made him miss Mikayla.

The fame of the twins had another consequence as well, although it was one that everyone could live with. Since the end of the summer was drawing near, decisions had to be made about school enrollment. Zack and Cody didn't want to be separated from their girlfriends, and it was fairly obvious that all of them were now too famous to go to a regular school. It was agreed that all four teens would be taught privately by Miss Tutweiller once the school year resumed. The teacher had already done a fine job of making sure that Mikayla was caught up to her proper grade level, and everyone was optimistic that this arrangement would work out. Yes, the woman would have to deal with the challenges of both Zack and London, but the private lessons would allow her to give them plenty of individual attention. The fact that Cody would be doing mostly independent study would only make matters easier.

* * *

The teens weren't the only ones affected by the publicity surrounding Mikayla. Carey's stress levels were much higher than she liked. She was always concerned about her boys and their girlfriends, Mikayla especially. The girl had so much pressure on her, it wasn't right. Carey did her best to make things easier for the teen whenever she could. And she was glad to see that she wasn't the only one doing so.

For as each day passed, Carey's opinion of Jim Lafayette grew more and more positive. Spending so much time in the studio with Mikayla, Carey had many opportunities to see the man at work. With the album's deadline looming, it was important that everyone keep to the tightest possible schedule. And when someone dropped the ball, Jim was quick and decisive in getting things back on track. Tensions were running high, and sometimes when members of the production team fell behind, Carey would see Jim angrily berating them. But she would only see this when Mikayla was in another room. When the young star was present, Jim was always smiling and positive. He'd repeatedly reassure the girl that she was doing a wonderful job and that her album was going to be spectacular. Carey saw that he was doing his best to protect the girl from anything that could upset her, and she appreciated that.

In fact, she was beginning to appreciate a lot of things about him. At first she'd been a little wary of the man. Sure he had charm, good looks, and an obvious interest in her…but the last part had actually troubled her. She had felt flattered that he was attracted to her, but he'd been so obvious about it so soon after meeting her that Carey assumed he was simply a player. That was an assumption that she now hoped was wrong, because she could easily see herself falling for the man.

And on the day that Mikayla finished her last session in the studio, Carey fell.

Everyone was in a good mood, because that day would conclude a major portion of the work on the album. Mikayla was in the recording room and nearing the end of her last vocal track, while Carey and Jim were outside, watching and listening through the glass. The vocals sounded fantastic even without the full background music that would be added in post production.

"She nailed it," Carey exclaimed as Mikayla sang the final note.

"Yes!" Jim pumped his fist once in the air. Both he and Carey were almost giddy that this part of the work was finally over. Each turned to say something to the other at the same moment, which resulted in them facing each other…separated by a few short inches.

Jim pulled her to him and kissed her. It was impulsive, it was unexpected, and it was…very nice. Nonetheless it didn't last long, and when Jim broke the kiss he took a step backwards.

"Sorry," he said. "I wasn't thinking."

Carey took a moment before replying. Despite the shortness of the duration, that had been the most enjoyable kiss she'd had in a long time. "So if you'd been thinking…you wouldn't have done it?" she asked with a slight smile.

Seeing the smile and the spark in her eyes, Jim stepped back towards her. "No, I wouldn't have. If I'd been thinking…if I'd planned it out…" He puts his arms around her. "It would have gone like this."

He kissed her again. This one lasted a much longer time. When it finally ended, Carey, still in his embrace, let out a satisfied sigh.

"I like a man who thinks things through," she said.

* * *

Zack and London were in the penthouse. Cody and Mikayla were going to join them shortly and all were going to have a quiet dinner together to celebrate the completion of the recording sessions. While waiting for the other couple, London cuddled with Zack on the couch. The television was on but neither teen was paying it any attention, only having eyes for each other. But that changed when a bit of entertainment news was shown.

"Oh, where's the remote?" London said as she sat up straight.

Zack was a bit annoyed, as he would've preferred the heiress to lean back into his arms and resume trading soft kisses with him. Nevertheless, he handed her the remote and watched with her as some commentators discussed Hannah Montana and Mikayla.

The gist of the story was that Mikayla's new album was hotly anticipated and that her popularity was continuing to rise. At the same time, although Hannah's popularity was taking some major hits, her album was still expected to be very successful. Furthermore, some very vocal groups of Hannah fans were launching a grassroots campaign to defend their idol. Unfortunately, it seemed the only way they could think of to defend Hannah was to attack Mikayla. The story concluded that despite the embarrassing tape of Hannah's rant, it was still too early to tell who the real princess of pop would be.

"Hannah's mean!" London said angrily as she turned off the TV and threw down the remote. "How can anyone like her?"

"She's got a lot of fans," Zack answered. "Hey, I used to be one. And she is a good singer."

"How can you defend her?"

"I'm not defending her. I was just answering your question." Zack put his hand to London's chin and turned her face so that she looked him in the eyes. "You know, you've been really worked up about Hannah ever since this whole thing started."

"Of course I have," the heiress replied. "You heard what she said about Mikayla."

"Yeah, and that made me mad," Zack said. "But nobody's been as mad about this as you. Even Mikayla was trying to make peace with her. And she told us how she was the one who used to treat Hannah like dirt."

"Yeah, but we didn't know her then," came London's response. "The Mikayla we know is nice and sweet and she's my friend…and I'm not going to let anyone be mean to her. I owe her too much."

Zack was puzzled at this. If anything, Mikayla owed London, not the other way around. "What do you mean? What do you owe her for?"

London got a pensive look on her face. It was an expression Zack had seen from her before and knew well. The heiress was trying to think up just the right words to explain herself, because this was something she really wanted Zack to understand.

"Mikayla is one of my best friends ever, just like Maddie and Cody and you," she said. "And so many things have happened since I met her. When she first moved into the hotel, you and Cody and I were all spending so much time with her that it brought us all closer together." She paused and reached her hand up to caress Zack's cheek. "If I hadn't met Mikayla…you wouldn't be here with me right now."

There was only one way Zack felt he could respond to that. He leaned forward and kissed her.

London smiled adorably when the kiss was finished. "Now do you understand why I owe her?"

Zack nodded. "Mikayla sure has affected our lives."

The heiress's smile grew even brighter. "So you agree that we should crush Hannah for being mean to her?"

Zack rolled his eyes. One thing he'd realized about London, she was pure and straight-forward in her feelings. Usually that was a good thing, but when her feelings were vengeful…not so much.

In any case, they had no chance to discuss the matter further, for Cody and Mikayla choose that moment to arrive.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__The end is drawing near. If it does come down to a matter of winning and losing (and I'm not saying it will) who do you want to see come out on top? Please review. _


	27. Chapter 27

Mikayla enjoyed her quiet night in with Cody, London and Zack. Unfortunately the evening couldn't last very long, as the singer had to get to bed early. She had many interviews and appearances scheduled to promote her album.

"I'm never going to have any free time until the damn thing comes out," she complained to Cody as he escorted her back to her suite.

"It's just for a little while longer," he replied.

"Would you come with me to all the interviews?" she asked. "I know it'll be boring, just sitting off to the side. But…we haven't been able to spend much time together. I miss you."

Cody knew she wasn't kidding when she said how boring it would be. But he was too much of a devoted boyfriend to even think about turning her down.

"Of course, I'll come with you."

* * *

Miley was in her room, packing for a short trip to New York. Lily was with her.

"You know, they should do all this stuff via satellite," the blonde commented. "Why do they make you fly across the country just for one appearance?"

"_Pop Hits Live _takes the 'live' part of their show seriously," Miley replied. "They want Hannah there in front of their studio audience…and the show is too popular for me to turn down. I need good publicity." She managed a weak smile to Lily. "We'll try and have a little fun afterwards. We'll go shopping before we have to fly back."

The blonde girl nodded and tired to look excited. But truthfully she would have been more than willing to give up countless shopping trips if doing so could somehow end Miley's current problems.

* * *

Cody had not enjoyed his first day accompanying Mikayla to all her media appearances. But she had been grateful. And he did take comfort in the fact that his girlfriend wanted him near. In any case, he was hopeful that her schedule for the next day would be much less of a hassle. It might even be fun since Zack and London would be going with them. Mikayla only had one appearance scheduled for that day, although it was a big one.

All four teens, along with Carey were down in the lobby bright and early when Jim arrived. He and Carey greeted each other with a kiss, which caused two different reactions from the others. Although the twins had no objection to the new romance, any public displays of affection inevitably caused Zack and Cody to groan or make sarcastic comments. Mikayla and London on the other hand thought that Carey and Jim were unbelievably cute together. The girls would always let out an "Awww" whenever they saw the two kiss.

"Okay everyone," Jim said after he and Carey had finished their hello. "It's time to head out. Next stop New York City and _Pop Hits Live_.

* * *

Hannah was in her dressing room backstage at _Pop Hits Live_ when her father and Lola entered. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that something was wrong.

"Change of plans," Robbie Ray announced. "These weasels were trying to pull a fast one on us."

The pop star was outraged as her Dad explained what was going on. The show had booked both Mikayla and Hannah without telling each other. The idea had been for both girls to be brought out at the same time for a surprise confrontation. It may well have happened if Lola hadn't overheard a couple of assistant producers talking about it. She had quickly informed Robbie Ray, and then had stopped him from punching anyone when he'd approached the men and confirmed the truth.

"I am so glad you came along," Hannah said as she looked to her best friend.

Lola shrugged. "Hey, you can always count on me to save you from some embarrassment…and your dad from criminal charges."

"Well, there's no way we're going along with this," Robbie Ray said. "Let's get out of here."

The girls knew they'd attract less attention if they left as themselves, but they didn't want anyone to see Miley and Lily leaving Hannah's dressing room. So they snuck off to an empty restroom to change. Meanwhile, Robbie Ray went to arrange for a car to pick them up at the building's back entrance.

But when Miley and Lily stepped out of the restroom, they ran into two other girls.

"Hey…I know you," a surprised Mikayla said. "Miley!"

The next thing that Miley knew, she was being pulled into a hug by her unsuspecting rival.

"It's so good to see you again," the dark-haired singer gushed. She then went on to introduce Miley to London before turning to Lily. She apologized to the blonde girl for not remembering her name, and also for being rude to her the last time they'd met.

"Umm…don't mention it," Lily replied. She and Miley were both taken off guard by Mikayla's genuine happiness at seeing them. But despite the strangeness of the situation, they did manage to think fast when they were asked how they came to be there.

"We decided to take a trip to New York before summer vacation ended," Miley said. "And we thought we'd try to get tickets for today's _Pop Hits_ taping…but there weren't any left. So we were just leaving."

Mikayla laughed. "Don't worry about it. You can stay as my guests." She took hold of Miley's arm and started to lead her down the hall. "Come on, I want you to meet my boyfriend."

London began to lead Lily in the same direction. "And you come too. Any friends of Mikayla's are friends of mine."

Miley and Lily could only look at each other helplessly as they were dragged off by the very enthusiastic girls.

* * *

It was downright bizarre.

That was Miley's take on things as she and Lily found themselves in Mikayla's dressing room. All of her rival's companions were being so freaking nice to them. And what was worse, every time Miley tried to think up an excuse to leave, someone would have an answer and urge them to stay.

_What do I have to do? _Miley thought. _Lily and I can't just run out the door. That would be way too suspicious. _

The southern girl did think she had an opportunity to escape when all of Mikayla's people left the room to go take their seats for the show. Miley and Lily lingered in the dressing room, thinking that it would be easier to slip away from just Mikayla rather than the whole group.

"I can't get over running into you here," the cheerful singer said. "What are the odds?"

"Yeah, it's odd alright," Miley muttered.

"What was that?"

"She was just saying you're right," Lily said quickly, covering for her friend. "Boy, the odds of us meeting here." She faked some laughter.

"I'm glad you're here," Mikayla said as she turned her attention back to Miley. "I hope you're not mad that I never kept in touch."

"Of course not," she answered while wondering if her father was back inside the building and searching for her. "I didn't actually expect you to. A big star like you must be way too busy for a nobody like me."

"Yeah, that's us," Lily put in. "Just a couple of nobodies. Not famous…at all."

Miley managed to give her friend a quick kick to the ankle without Mikayla noticing. In fact, Miley's rival seemed to have something else on her mind.

"I was busy," the singer said in a somber voice. "But not how you might think. You see back when I first met you, I didn't really have any friends. Not real ones anyway. And I'd sort of hoped that you could have become one."

Miley noted the seriousness of Mikayla's tone and then let her mind turn back to the past. Mikayla and Hannah had already strongly disliked each other by the time that Mikayla had first encountered the 'real' Miley Stewart. It had been the first time Miley had seen another side of her foe, for while Mikayla had still been a bit arrogant, she had also been legitimately friendly and pleasant.

"If you wanted to be friends, what stopped you from calling Miley?" Lily asked. She was just as curious as her best friend.

Mikayla proceeded to explain what had happened with her parents and how she'd ended up on her own and nearly bankrupt. She admitted that she was too ashamed to try and call Miley during that time because she didn't want to be an object of pity.

"That's so sad," Lily commented.

"I had no idea," Miley said quietly. Now she understood why the girl didn't want to give up her second chance at success.

"I'm sorry for bringing you guys down," Mikayla said. Her eyes brightened and she smiled. "Things are much better now. "My friends turned everything around for me. London, Cody and his family…they saved my life. If it wasn't for all this crap in the news about Hannah, everything would be perfect."

"That's…great," Miley said.

Mikayla then suggested that the two girls go and take their seats with the others. Finally the duo had the perfect opportunity to escape. But before they left, Miley looked back to her rival.

"I'm…I'm really happy things are working out for you now."

* * *

Once they were by themselves, Miley and Lily were quickly found by Robbie Ray.

"What has been keeping you two?" he asked. "I tried calling you but I just kept getting your blasted voicemail."

Miley hadn't realized that she'd had her cell phone off, but she had more important things on her mind now.

"We ran into some complications," Lily said to Robbie Ray. "But we can leave now."

"No," Miley spoke up, surprising her two companions.

"What?" they both asked at once.

The young singer took a deep breath before looking her father in the eyes.

"I'm going to do the show. I want to go out there live…with Mikayla."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**_author's note: _**_Hope you liked that chapter. Please review. If you're following this story and haven't bookmarked it or put it on your alert list yet, be aware that I will most likely be moving it out of the main Suite Life section and into the crossover section soon. Also, a number of readers have commented about how it might be good for Mikayla to meet with Miley as Miley, not Hannah. But when __Riana Kaiba suggested it happen at a certain point in the story, it gave me an idea…which I decided not to use…but it did get me thinking…which led to the development in this chapter__. :)_


	28. Chapter 28

After Miley and Lily had changed back into Hannah and Lola they informed the people at _Pop Hits Live_ that Hannah would appear…under certain conditions. Hannah wanted complete freedom to do and say whatever she wanted when she stepped out to surprise Mikayla. The show's producers, sure that there would be all sorts of fireworks between the two girls, were more than happy to agree.

Robbie Ray, having listened to his daughter's plan, asked Lola to step outside Hannah's dressing room for a moment. But when they were alone, it was the young pop star who spoke first.

"You're not upset, are you?" she asked.

"No, I'm not upset. But I am worried. Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes." It was clear from her tone that she was nervous but also determined. "It's the right thing to do."

"You realize that this may blow up in your face," he said. "In fact, odds are it will blow up in your face."

Hannah was silent.

"I understand why you're doing this," her father continued. "But you've got to know that this might not do any good for you…or Mikayla. Even if you're lucky, you might help Mikayla but still end up hurting yourself."

"Yeah," she admitted. "As best case scenarios go…this one pretty much sucks."

"And you still want to do it?"

"Daddy," she said swallowing hard. "Ever since that tape of me came out, I've been worried about my image and my reputation being ruined. I was acting like that would be the worst thing that could happen. It's not. It's not even close to the worst thing." She forced some false bravado into her tone. "Besides, if this is it for Hannah Montana…then I'm going to decide the way I'm going down."

Robbie Ray pulled the girl into a hug. There had been many times in his life that his daughter had made him proud…but, off the top of his head, he couldn't recall a moment where he'd ever been prouder.

* * *

Cody, seated with his family and friends, was wondering what had happened to Miley and Lily. There were two seats being held for them as Mikayla had requested, but the girls had seemingly vanished. His curiosity was put on the back burner when Mikayla came out for her segment of the show. Instead he simply enjoyed watching his girlfriend as she gave a fine performance of the one of the songs from her upcoming album. After the performance, the show's host stepped forward to interview the singer.

At first, things went as expected. There was the typical talk about the album. A few innocent questions about Mikayla's personal life, which gave the singer an opportunity to give some shout outs to her friends. She winked at Cody when she talked about him and then blew him a kiss, causing the studio audience to let out a "woooo" of appreciation.

But after that things took an unexpected turn. The host announced there was a special visitor to see Mikayla, and the crowd erupted in shock and excitement when Hannah Montana came out.

Jim got up instantly from his seat, realizing that the people running the show must have intended this ambush from the start. Carey was also quickly standing, but like Jim she knew she couldn't rush to Mikayla's side. The show was being broadcast live and neither wanted to make a scene that would embarrass the girl.

Of course, not all of the dark-haired singer's friends took the time to think before acting.

"What is she doing here?" London's voice was filled with outrage. She all but leapt from her chair and would have likely run straight to Mikayla…or straight over Hannah…if Zack hadn't grabbed her by the arm.

"Babe, wait!" he implored.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she tried to pull from his grasp. "Hannah's not supposed to be here! She's trying to steal Mikayla's spotlight!"

Cody's eyes had been casting concerned looks towards his girl, but London's complaints drew his attention. He moved to the heiress and tried to help his twin calm her down.

"Just stay put," Cody said. "If you charge into the middle of this it could make things worse."

But the rich girl was not one to be easily dissuaded. And she was also, as Zack well knew, remarkably strong for someone her size. The twins were stunned when she pulled away from both of them. Fortunately, Carey and Jim had noticed her by that point. Jim reached out as she tried to pass by and caught her in a gentle but firm bear hug. With the pronounced differences in their heights, it was simple for him to simply stand up straight and hold her so that her feet couldn't reach the floor. At the same time, Carey quickly got in the girl's face and gave her a stern look.

"Young lady you will settle down this instant," she ordered. Her authoritative tone was enough to make London comply. Jim let the heiress stand on the floor again, and then all of them just looked to the two teen singers who were the center of attention.

* * *

"Mikayla, I'm sorry for surprising you," Hannah said. "And I'm not here to fight. Please just let me say something and then I'll go."

The stunned Mikayla couldn't think of anything to do but listen to her rival.

Hannah turned to address the audience in the studio and the millions of television viewers who were tuned in.

"Everybody has seen or heard about the big feud between the two of us. It's been all over the news for over a month now. It seems like a lot of you can't get enough of it." A flash of anger appeared in her eyes and she raised her voice. "But I've had enough of it! I'm sick to death of it." She pointed to Mikayla. "You see her…you see me. We're not some sort of gladiators that you get to watch fight for amusement. We're just two people who try and entertain you. Why can't you just leave it at that?"

"But Hannah," the show's host spoke up, earning him a dirty look from the southern singer. "Nobody was interested in this feud, or even knew about it, until you launched that tirade against Mikayla that was caught on tape."

"That's true," the pop star conceded. "I said some nasty things about Mikayla, and everyone found out about it. And now a lot of people think I'm a horrible person." She paused. "But some people don't. I've got some fans out there that have reacted by going around and saying that Mikayla's a horrible person. And I have a message for those people in particular."

Hannah started directly into the main camera.

"Cut it out!" she yelled angrily. "Seriously, what are you thinking? You saw a tape of me saying some stupid things and you react by saying stupider things?" She took a deep breath and then continued in a quieter tone. "I have always appreciated the support my fans have given me. And I realize that many of you out there now are doing what you're doing because you want to help me. But I'm telling you...it's not helping. I'm asking you to stop. And if you don't want to stop, then I don't want you as my fans."

Standing off to the side with Robbie Ray, Lola gasped. "Does she know what she's doing?"

Hannah's father nodded silently.

Back in front of the cameras, Hannah continued speaking. "Y'all seem to want some big showdown between Mikayla and me. Newspapers are taking polls about us. Which one is more popular? Which one is going to sell more records? Those are the questions you seem to care about. Well, I don't care about it. Not anymore. I think there's more than enough room in the music business for both her and me. But if I'm wrong…if for some reason the whole wide world only wants one of us to be successful…then I think it should be Mikayla."

As millions of people around the world reacted in shock at those words, the show's host once again spoke up.

"What are you saying Hannah?" he asked.

Before the girl could answer, several of the show's crew members started motioning frantically off-camera. The host saw this and quickly spoke again.

"Sorry, one second…we have to break for some commercials," he explained. "Hannah you can continue when we return live." He looked to the camera. "Stay tuned."

* * *

With the broadcast temporarily interrupted, Mikayla turned to her rival. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to end this," Hannah replied.

All of Mikayla's friends took the opportunity to finally make their way to the girl's side. Robbie Ray and Lola similarly joined Hannah. However the two stars kept their attention focused on one another.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do," Mikayla said. "But I--"

"I know," Hannah cut her off. "If you say something that your record label doesn't approve of…you're in trouble. That's okay. Don't say anything."

"But I have to say something," the girl countered. "I can't just let you--"

Once again, Mikayla found herself interrupted, as the show's host quickly announced to everyone that the show would be live again in less than a minute.

Mikayla looked to Carey and then to Jim. Her manager's expression was conflicted, but only for a split second. He leaned forward and whispered to the girl.

"Whatever you want to do, I've got your back."

Carey was close enough to overhear those words, and she gave Jim a look of admiration before turning to Mikayla and giving her a hug. "We're all behind you," she said.

There was no time for further conversation. But Cody reached out quickly and squeezed Mikayla's hand once before retreating off to the side. When the show's broadcast resumed Mikayla, Hannah and the show's host were the only ones left within the camera's view.

"Now Hannah," the host began. "You--"

"No," Mikayla interjected forcefully. "It's my turn now." Now she was the one who stepped forward to address the show's vast audience. "Everyone is blaming Hannah because of what she said about me. But did you ever think I might have said things just as bad about her? I have. The only difference is that nobody ever filmed me doing it."

The dark-haired singer went on to explain that the problems between Hannah and herself didn't start with the now famous tape of Hannah's rant. She gave a brief but accurate account of how there'd always been friction between them, and admitted that she been the one responsible for it.

"But by the time I saw how childish and wrong I'd been, everything started to go crazy," Mikayla went on. "I was ready to make peace with Hannah and she was ready to make peace with me…but too many people want us to keep fighting. I don't want to fight anymore."

She turned from looking directly into the camera and faced her fellow pop star.

"I'm sorry for all the mean things I've ever said to you," she said.

"And I'm sorry for what I've said about you," came the reply.

There was a slight hesitation after that. A moment of awkwardness that passed surprisingly quickly. Then, with millions watching, the two girls embraced.

* * *

The show ended, and once again Mikayla and Hannah were surrounded by their loved ones. Cody hugged Mikayla and kissed her, telling her how proud he was of her actions. A sentiment that was echoed by everyone.

Hannah, who was getting her own congratulations, was surprised by a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see London Tipton staring her in the face.

"You're really not going to be mean to Mikayla anymore?" the heiress asked as she stared unblinking at the pop star.

"No," she answered, a bit unnerved by London's gaze. "I don't want any trouble with her ever again."

London's entire expression transformed instantly. "Great," she said with a bright smile. "Now we can all be friends. Yay!" She gave Hannah a quick hug and then skipped back to Mikayla and company.

"That girl scares me a little," Lola commented.

"Uh huh," Hannah agreed.

* * *

A little while after the show had ended, the two singers and all their companions were heading for the back exit. London had insisted that everyone should go out for a celebratory dinner together before parting ways. While many of them were still concerned about what was going to happen with the media reaction and Mikayla's record company, it was hard to argue with the rich girl's enthusiasm.

But just as the group was reaching the exit, an angry voice called out. "Stop right there!"

The group turned around to see and uptight looking woman in a business suit marching towards them.

"Who's that?" Robbie Ray asked.

"Ms. Quigley," Jim answered. "She works for Mr. Tipton."

Without offering a greeting, the woman began speaking angrily as she walked up to Jim. "I just so happened to be in the New York offices of Tipton industries, when I received a phone call about Mikayla's unauthorized comments on a live television broadcast. How could you allow this?"

"It's what she wanted to do," he replied. "And if you ask me, it's good publicity."

"Nobody asked you," Quigley snapped. "You were well aware of the marketing plan we have in place for Mikayla…and it did not involve ending the feud with Hannah Montana."

"Then I guess you'd better change the plan," Carey spoke up. Just as in their last encounter, Carey refused to be intimidated. In fact, she decided to try some intimidating of her own. She walked right up to Quigley and stared down at the shorter woman. Quigley didn't show any fear in her expression, but did take a noticeable step backwards.

"I hope you're all very satisfied," the unpleasant woman said. "You've just destroyed Mikayla's career. Consider the album cancelled."

Several people started speaking at once, pointing out the stupidity and pettiness of that move, but a loud shrill whistle cut through the din.

Everyone turned to see that it the sound had come from London.

"You can't cancel Mikayla's album," she said with just a touch of petulance in her voice.

"You have to listen to her," Zack added. "You work for her dad."

Ms. Quigley was entirely unimpressed. She ignored London and addressed Zack. "Mr. Tipton does not want his daughter interfering with any further business matters. He made that very clear after the fiasco with the Hannah Montana clothing line."

"We'll just see about that," the heiress said as she pulled out her phone.

"Go ahead and call," the businesswoman said in a dismissive tone. "And then tell all of us what he says."

"Oh, I know what he's going to say," London replied matter-of-factly as she looked at Quigley. "He's going to say that it's none of my business and that I have to listen to you."

Surprised that the girl realized this, Quigley nonetheless responded in an arrogant tone. "Exactly."

"And he'll say that when I call him the next time," the heiress continued. "And the next time. And the next time. And…" She went on for quite some time before letting out a low chuckle. "You get the picture?" Do you know how many phone calls I can make in just one day?"

Ms. Quigley said nothing as an evil smile appeared on London's face.

"When Daddy gets annoyed with an employee he fires them," the rich girl said. "But I'm not an employee, I'm his little girl." She folded her arms across her chest in a satisfied manner. "If I decide to make this all about me versus you, do you really think you have a chance Quigley?"

Everyone saw the look of nervousness on the businesswoman's face. When she finally spoke again, her tone was far less strident.

"Since we are so close to the release date," she said. "I suppose it wouldn't make much business sense to cancel the album now."

"So I guess you should go work on changing the marketing plan," Jim said. "Shouldn't you…Quigley?" He deliberately mimicked the way London had said her name a moment earlier…his way of pointing out that they'd all enjoyed watching the woman being beaten by a teenage girl.

Ms. Quigley turned and left without another word. Everyone else looked to London, who once more had a big, cheerful smile on her face.

"Yay me!" she said brightly while clapping her hands.

Mikayla burst out laughing and hugged her best friend. "You are awesome!"

"That she is," Zack said as he gently separated the two girls so that he could take over hugging the heiress. "Well done, babe." Then he added a kiss to the hug.

Cody came up behind Mikayla and encircled her with his arms. "I don't think they should have all the fun," he whispered. The singer responded by turning into his embrace and kissing him enthusiastically.

After a moment, Carey loudly cleared her throat. The teens ignored her. Jim laughed.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," he said before giving her a quick kiss. She smiled and decided to give the two young couples a bit longer before clearing her throat again.

Watching the affectionate displays, Hannah thought about her actor boyfriend who was off working on the other side of the country.

"I wish Jake were here," she sighed.

"I wish Oliver were here," Lola chimed in.

"I really need to get a girlfriend," Robbie Ray commented.

Finally all the kissing couples separated and once again the entire group headed for the exit. But suddenly Mikayla spoke up.

"Wait a second," she said. "What happened to Miley and Lily?"

* * *

**To be continued...**

_**author's note: **__I think the next chapter will be the big finale. What did you think of this chapter? Is there anything in particular anyone wants to see before it's all finished? (I already know one thing that some people really want to see...but I'm curious if there are other hopes and/or suggestions.) Thanks so much to all of you who've stuck with the story this far. Please review. _


	29. Chapter 29

When Mikayla questioned Miley and Lily's whereabouts, Cody and many of the others remembered that the girls had failed to join them in the audience before the show.

"Maybe your friends had to leave suddenly," Lola said in an oddly false tone. Even though she had been disguising herself alongside Hannah for a few years now, she could still sometimes get flustered about keeping her secret.

"What if they got thrown out by security?" Cody asked. "One of us should have waited and walked them to the seats."

"Let's go ask if any of the stage crew saw them," Carey suggested.

"Wait," Hannah called out. Everyone stopped and turned to her. "Umm…one second." She then began a whispered conversation with Robbie Ray. After exchanging a few thoughtful looks, both of them turned back to face the others.

"Let's go find someplace private," Hannah said. "I've got something to tell you. But it has to stay a secret."

* * *

After the shock was over, Mikayla started laughing. Laughter that grew and grew until she had to lean against Cody to keep from collapsing.

"Dude, she's gone hysterical," Zack told his twin with a hint of concern.

"No…no," Mikayla finally managed to choke out. She composed herself, and stopped laughing (though she chose to keep leaning against Cody…she felt quite comfortable in that position.) She looked to Miley. "I'm just thinking about that day you and I went shopping…and I spent the whole time telling you how much I hated Hannah." She laughed again. "You just kept nodding and smiling."

Until that moment, Miley's memories of that day had been filled with annoyance, but now she could see the humor in it. She began to laugh too.

Everyone promised to keep Miley's secret. On the whole, Mikayla and all her friends were very impressed with the cleverness of Hannah Montana's double life. Cody in particular wished that he could slip back into a 'normal' life whenever he wanted.

But with Mikayla leaning against him, her musical laughter filling his ears, he couldn't help but think that some things were worth giving up 'normal' for.

* * *

Miley and Lily put their wigs back on before going out with Mikayla and the rest for dinner. Despite the fact that London took them all to an exclusive restaurant that catered to the rich and famous, the two pop stars and their friends still received an incredible amount of attention. Already the end of the Mikayla/Hannah feud was being discussed all over the media. Before the main course was even served, London, Hannah and Mikayla had taken out their cell phones and browsed the web to discover that the news coverage was universally positive. Commentators were praising both singers as outstanding role models and fans seemed excited about the newfound peace.

The entire group went back to the Tipton. When they arrived, Mr. Moseby was glad to see that Hannah was present. He apologized to the singer, Robbie Ray and Lola for throwing them out of the hotel during their last visit, and was pleased when they expressed no hard feelings over the incident.

Hannah was given a complimentary suite for the night. The next morning, a press conference was held at the hotel where both singers reiterated that their feud was over. With that taken care of, Hannah and company returned home to California.

* * *

There was an unexpected bonus to the end of the feud. With all the good publicity Mikayla was getting, Jim felt that there was no need for her to stick to such a demanding schedule of promotional appearances. He cut back on the number of interviews and media obligations to allow the girl to have more free time.

Mikayla was grateful for this. So was Cody.

Technically the teens were still not supposed to be together in Mikayla's suite past a certain time each night, but they had noticed that Carey no longer came checking when Cody was there late. They wondered if it was because she trusted their judgement or if it was simply because Carey was now occupied with other matters. (Her relationship with Jim was proving very…satisfying.) In truth, both those factors played a part.

One night while Cody and Mikayla were cuddling on the singer's couch they paused in their kissing and looked at one another. Both went to say something at the same time…and then chuckled when their words overlapped. Cody then let Mikayla speak first.

"I think you can stay as long as you want tonight."

"I think you're right," he replied. His tone was serious.

Mikayla wasn't sure what she should say. Or do for that matter. She certainly had urges…strong urges…pulling her in one direction. And she did think she was ready for the next step. Yet Cody never pushed things. She could appreciate him being a gentleman. It was part of what she adored about him, but it also made her wonder at times if his desire for her was perhaps a little less intense than her desire for him.

"You know, I've thought a lot about you and me…and what it would be like to make love to you," he said.

Just hearing those words made Mikayla quiver inside. Excitement, and a tiny bit of fear, coursed through her. "I've thought about it too. Obviously."

"You…I can't tell you how much you turn me on." Cody hoped he didn't sound foolish. It was hard to adequately put his feelings into words.

Mikayla decided that she wasn't going to question her urges. She reached her hands over to Cody and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Wait," he said.

The girl froze. "Am I doing something wrong?"

Cody took hold of her hands but didn't push them away. "No. I just want to tell you something."

Mikayla nodded. "Okay."

"When I think about making love to you, I know I want it to be special. I keep wondering what would be best. Should we make a plan or should we just take the next opportunity we have and…go wild?"

Mikayla had to smile. While talking about this subject Cody's demeanor showed a slight awkwardness that served to enhance just how attractive he was.

"But as I thought about it, I thought about what taking this step means…what it means to me," he continued. "And I realized it's not about planning…or getting lost in the moment. To me, what would be special is knowing that I'm with…the right girl. The one I'm absolutely sure about. The one that means everything to me."

She studied his expression. He looked very serious, so much so that she wasn't sure if the conversation was going to go in a direction that she'd like.

"It's not easy to be that sure," he said. "But I figured out that I don't want my first time to happen until I really feel it. Until I know for certain that it's right. And then it'll be…perfect."

Mikayla considered his words. She waited to see if he had anything else to say, but he remained silent.

"I don't think most guys are like you Cody," she said. "But I don't want most guys." Her voice was little more than a whisper. "I want you. I want to be the one you're sure about."

Her heart began to pound when she saw the warm smile slowly appear on his face and heard him say, "You are."

He got up from the couch, pulling her to her feet as well. A second later he swept her up in his arms. If Mikayla had seen such a scene in a movie she would have groaned and called it a silly cliché, but there was nothing silly about how she felt when Cody carried her to her bedroom.

"I love you, Mikayla."

"I love you too."

And their night…was perfect.

* * *

On the day the two albums were finally released, previous sales records were obliterated. Mikayla's CD sold the most on the first day, but by the end of the week Hannah had racked up higher overall sales. Mikayla's singles were downloaded more often from _iTunes_ though.

About a month later, Hannah's cancelled clothing line was un-cancelled. It went on to be hugely successful.

* * *

In early December, Carey Martin became Carey Lafayette. The lavish ceremony was held at the Tipton. London, Maddie Fitzpatrick, and Emma Tutweiller (who'd become one of Carey's best friends) were bridesmaids while Mikayla served as the maid of honor. Guests in attendance included the Stewart family, Lily Truscott, Oliver Oken and Jake Ryan.

The reception party was a joyous celebration that lasted long into the night. Before it ended, Marion Moseby proposed to Emma and she accepted. The hotel manager would later admit that his proposal hadn't been planned beforehand but had been inspired by the marvelous feeling of romance in the air…and by the fact that Emma looked absolutely breathtaking in her bridesmaid's dress. In any event, he never regretted his impulsive action.

Carey and Jim's honeymoon went as wonderfully as their wedding. The location was fantastic. After years of wanting to go there…Carey finally made it to Hawaii. Ironically enough, she didn't go out and see all the sights like she'd always dreamed of. But that was her choice.

She and Jim were having so much fun in their honeymoon suite that she decided to leave the sightseeing for their next trip to the islands.

* * *

The next summer Mikayla and Hannah co-headlined a very profitable concert tour. The popularity of both girls continued to grow, and this paid off at the box office when Mikayla was cast as the villain opposite Hannah in the next _**Indiana Joanie **_film. Mikayla proved to be a natural at acting, and she won two _MTV Movie Awards_ for her film debut: _Best Villain_ and _Best Death Scene. _

Hollywood, always looking to repeat success, next cast Mikayla as the heroine of a brand new film franchise: _**Tasha the Vampire Princess**_. Hannah was cast as the villain this time, a sadistic vampire hunter, and that role earned her the _Best_ _Death Scene _prize the following year. In addition, Hannah and Mikayla won _Best Onscreen Kiss _for that film, which also claimed the unofficial prize of 'Zack Martin's Favorite Scene in a Movie…EVER!' But that award was kept secret, especially from London and Cody.

Though in truth, Cody was more than a little fond of that particular scene himself.

* * *

The twins and their girlfriends were all relaxing up in London's penthouse. They had nothing in particular planned for the day.

"Hey, you know what we haven't done for a long time?" London said. "A new episode of _Yay Me!_"

"That's true," Cody replied. "We've all been so busy." He paused. "Do you have anything in mind for a topic?"

The heiress shook her head and looked to her friends for ideas. Zack suggested that they look through the archives of past episodes and see if there were any topics that London might want to revisit. Cody went to London's computer and began scrolling through the list of previous episodes.

"Oh…wow," he said. A second later he looked up from the screen. "Do you guys know what today is?"

They all looked at him, waiting for the answer.

"It's two years to the day since this…" He turned the screen around so that they all could see. On the monitor was a replay of the _Yay Me! _episode where Mikayla was the special celebrity guest.

"That was the day we met," Mikayla said as she looked lovingly as Cody. Then she turned to London and Zack. "That was the day I met you all."

London glanced over to Zack, thinking again about the chain of events that had brought them together. After a moment she shifted her gaze back to Mikayla and Cody.

"That was the best episode we ever did," the heiress said softly as she leaned back into her boyfriend's arms.

Cody moved away from the computer and sat down next to his girl. "The best one ever," he whispered an instant before his lips met Mikayla's.

* * *

**The End****. **

_**author's note: **__Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. This is by far the biggest story I've ever attempted, much less finished. Several times I thought it was going to kick my butt...and it did._

_Apologies to those who may have wanted more Zack and London in the finale. I love them both but I think I'd already answered the major questions about how they feel about one another. _

_I've stated before that I had not decided at the beginning of this tale how things would end up in regards to the couples, and that was true. That being said, I really thought early on that I was going to break up Cody and Mikayla and that things would turn into Cody/London and Zack/Mikayla. But once Mikayla and Cody were together...they just clicked for me so much that I couldn't do it. I'm glad it clicked for a lot of you as well. Of course, I then unexpectedly found myself having to really commit to making Zack and London work as a couple too. _

_Because of an email exchange with Elianna22, I was inspired to write a short one-shot sequel to this tale - **Show Me that Smile**. It's not focused on any of the main characters, but I had fun with it. Look for it in the **Suite Life series/Hannah Montana** crossover section._


End file.
